Soul of the Enemy
by Willow Spirit
Summary: They find her halfdead and floating in the lake at Hogwarts. Who is this girl and will she ever wake up? Some people don't trust her and maybe that's a good thing. The stars in the sky said a danger was coming to Hogwarts. Coincidence? Who knows...
1. A New Arrival

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**:This story is set in Harry's seventh year. I will NOT be following the new developments in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, unless of course anything fits into my plot. I started working on this story long before HBP came out. So this will be AU after OoP.

Thanks to my friends who are my wonderful beta readers! I also started posting this story before but I got a little sidetracked with school and all. So I'm re-posting this and I'm determined to get to the end. This time around I have a good head start, which should mean frequent updates.

The italics near the beginning are referring to a previous conversation.

**Chapter One:A New Arrival**

It was the coldest night in January, and fresh snow glistened in the moonlight of the first full moon of the New Year. No creatures were stirring in the early morning hours, except for one…but to call him a 'creature' would be most disrespectful.

Firenze, the centaur, could not sleep. Try as he may, there was something plaguing him in the back of his mind that kept him awake. That was why Firenze was currently standing outside Hogwarts, looking to the stars for answers.

The stars were always a source of comfort for the centaur. Even though he was exiled from his own kind in the Forbidden Forest, the stars were his constant link to them. All centaurs observed the stars. Firenze hoped that he could find peace in the night sky this evening.

But if peace was what he was looking for, it was not to be found. It took a moment for Firenze to examine sky, and he was almost afraid that he was reading the stars incorrectly. He had to be wrong, but then again, Firenze had always trusted his abilities to read the heavens accurately. No wonder his mind was troubled! In all his years, Firenze had never seen such a sight.

"A danger comes to Hogwarts," Firenze whispered into the dark void.

"Someone comes, bringing great danger with them."

* * *

'_So how does it feel to be back to classes_?' 

'_Oh, it's wonderful, Hagrid. These last few months are going to be so exciting! I can't wait to finally practice everything I've been reading over Christmas holiday_.'

'_Well, now, I knew yeh'd be happy, Hermione. What about you, Ron_?"

'_Well, I'm far from excited, if that's what you mean_."

"Harry?"

'_How about you, Harry? Anythin' interestin' goin' on_?'

'_No. Not really, I suppose_.'

"Harry? Is everything okay?"

'_Are yeh sure_?'

'_Yeah, things are just … I don't know_.'

'_Ah, I see. Got a lot on yer mind, don't yeh? I guess that's ter be expected._'

Harry Potter was strolling along edge of the lake at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At the moment he wasn't very talkative. In fact, he was completely on another planet. Which was probably why his two best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, were both staring at him expectantly.

"Harry?"

"Everything's fine, Ron," Harry sighed. Sure, those were the words that left his mouth but Harry felt anything but fine. Maybe it was because they were in their seventh year at Hogwarts. Maybe it was because he worried about finding a job after school. Or maybe Harry just wanted to live beyond his school years.

"Come on Harry. You've been even more distant lately," Hermione reasoned. "We haven't seen you this quiet in a long time. You know you can talk to us about anything."

"Yeah, Harry, you didn't even seem exited when we were talking about the next Quidditch match against the Slytherins. That always gets you going. I mean, how else can we totally beat the sh—"

"Ron!"

"Well so sorry for trying to help," Ron muttered under his breath. "Next time I'll leave all the cheering up business to you."

Harry wanted to laugh, but his heart wasn't quite there. How could he tell them about his feelings? They couldn't understand how the world seemed to be closing in around him. Ironically, Hagrid always seemed to know when something was wrong. _Got a lot on your mind, don't you? I guess that's to be expected._ People really underestimated Hagrid. He was really good at reading emotions, especially Harry's.

As it was, Harry did have a lot on his mind. There was a deep, uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Harry felt that something big was about to happen. He didn't know what it was or what it would be, but it was like a dark thundercloud looming in the distance. It could strike at any moment.

"Are you guys worried at all," Harry asked. "About what might be coming?"

"You mean our final exams," Ron said gravely. "Harry, how could you bring something like that up? It's only just after Christmas, mate. I seriously think that Hermione here has finally brainwashed you."

"That's not fair Ron," Hermione huffed. "It's never too early to think about exams. You can get a lot of work done by starting early. Although, I must admit, I think I won't be nearly as obsessive over my exams this year. I plan to hold off my studying until mid April."

"Yeah," Ron snorted. "That'll only be two months of studying. You're really letting loose this year, Hermione. Watch out Hogwarts, we have a rebel on our hands."

"No, seriously," Harry said. "Do you ever think about what might happen with Voldemort? Things were awfully quiet in the news the past few weeks. Doesn't it seem like it's the big silence before the storm?"

"Harry…" Hermione hesitated slightly. "Do you think it's good for you to be focusing so much on this? I mean, there's still other things to look after right now…"

"Oh, like studying and passing our pointless exams?"

"I think Hermione is saying you shouldn't get stuck," Ron said. "You need other stuff to do. You have to move around. Like on a broomstick, practicing for Quidditch. Speaking of which, we should really get out to the pitch someday and practice. We haven't been out all holiday."

"Sure," Harry simply nodded. "Sounds great. Can't wait."

Before Ron could even open his mouth to reply, the three teenagers heard a distant crash. It sounded suspiciously like something falling through thin ice over water. They all stopped dead in their tracks.

"What the bloody hell was that!" Ron asked. And for once Hermione didn't even scold him for swearing.

"Look!" Hermione pointed to the edge of the water. There was a girl lying face down in the water. It looked like she had broken though the icy surface. Now she was slowly drifting out of sight.

"Come on!" Harry immediately took off in the girl's direction. Hermione and Ron quickly followed.

"Let's get her out of here," Harry said as they charged straight into the cold water. "This water's nearly freezing. She'll be in big trouble if we don't get her on land."

"Right," Ron said. "You grab that arm and I'll get this one."

"Got her then?" Harry asked. "Alright then, let's move."

Harry and Ron managed to pull the soaking wet girl up onto the shoreline. She seemed much heavier and more difficult to move than expected, probably due to her wet and heavy clothes. Hermione followed anxiously behind them.

"I found this in the water," Hermione held a broomstick in her cold hands. "It was almost at the bottom of the lake. It must belong to her. But I didn't see her flying in over the lake. Wouldn't we have seen her coming?"

"I don't really know," Harry said. "Right now we need help. Ron, why don't you go and tell Madam Pomfrey to get ready. We'll bring her up to the infirmary."

"Right."

"Hermione, can you help me get her on my shoulder," Harry and Hermione attempted to lay the girl over Harry's shoulder, but it wasn't really working. "I don't know how well this is going to work. She's pretty heavy. I don't think I can carry her myself."

"Well, it looks like you won't have to," Hermione was looking towards the entrance of the school. Professor Snape was quickly marching over the school grounds to meet them. And he did not have a happy look on his face (but when did Snape ever look happy?)

"What is the meaning of this Potter?" Snape snarled. "Mr. Weasley nearly knocked me over trying to get through the front entrance. He was shouting unintelligently about an emergency. Pray tell, what have you gone and done now?"

"He didn't do anything!" Hermione exclaimed. "We were only trying to help this girl. She fell into the lake."

Snape instantly stepped forward and practically pushed Harry out of the way. He sat the girl up in his arms and brushed some of her wet hair out of her face. He examined her face for a split second. "This girl is not one of ours," Snape said almost to himself. Then he laid her back down and pulled his wand out of his robe pocket. He magically conjured up a stretcher for the girl to lie on. "This girl needs to see Pomfrey. And since you two are obviously incapable of getting her there, I shall have to do it myself. I trust that you have caused enough trouble for one day, Potter."

Harry and Hermione, still soaking wet themselves, stood glaring after Snape as he floated the girl away on the stretcher. "Come on," Harry said. "Let's get to the infirmary and find Ron. We'll catch our death if we stay out here any longer."

Harry and Hermione followed Snape at a respectable distance all the way to the hospital wing. Once he disappeared inside, they ran the rest of the way and burst into room behind him.

"Poppy, we have a situation," Snape drawled. "And I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that the Terrible Trio just happened to be involved. This girl, however, is in need of your care."

"Oh my goodness!" Madam Pomfrey was currently trying to get the entire story out of Ron, but he seemed to be too excited to construct proper sentences. She waved her hand in a general direction. "Thank you so much, Severus. If you could just take her stretcher over to the bedside window, that would be wonderful. I'll look after her from…goodness, gracious me! Mr. Potter! Miss Granger! How is it that all three of you are drenched to the bone! Get over here, get over here! I want you boys to go behind that curtain over there and change out of those soaking wet robes immediately. Miss Granger, you can go to this curtain over here. Put these hospital gowns on while I attend to this girl. I'll dry your robes later but I am much too busy right now!"

The three teenagers grudgingly accepted the plain, dull hospital gowns ("But we're not sick!") Madam Pomfrey was instantly at the mystery girl's side. "I think this is a matter for the Headmaster," Pomfrey said as she began her examination.

"Quite right, Poppy," Snape took one last glaring look at the girl, who was now lying on the hospital bed. "I shall go inform Dumbledore at once. And while I'm at it," he said while casting a dark look at the other teenagers before they disappeared behind the curtains, "I think I'll ask McGonagall to come as well. She will undoubtedly want to know what her own students have been up to this afternoon. If you ask me this whole incident is very suspicious."

Hermione stuck her tongue out at Snape's retreating back. "What?" she said at looks the boys gave her. "It's not like he saw me, or anything. Besides, he deserves it for two reasons. He unfairly accused us and he called us the Terrible Trio."

"What is with her lately?" Ron muttered.

"Change into those gowns. NOW!"

* * *

Soon Harry, Hermione, and Ron were all sitting patiently on a nearby hospital bed. They carefully watched Madam Pomfrey as she fussed over her latest patient. "Oh, my poor dear," she mumbled to herself. "Looks like you've been through a lot, haven't you." 

Just then, Dumbledore entered through the infirmary doors. He was closely followed by McGonagall and Snape. McGonagall headed straight for her three students. "What is going on?" she asked. "Are the three of you alright? Could someone please explain what happened?"

"Well, you see, we were walking by the lake…"

"On our way back from Hagrid's…"

"Right, and then we heard this noise…"

"And we didn't know what it was…"

"And suddenly we saw this girl in the lake…"

"So we all jumped in the water…"

"Harry and I pulled her out…"

"Hermione found a broom in the water with the girl…"

"It's right over there on the table with her other things…"

"Ron went to get help…"

"And Professor Snape came out and took her away…"

"So Harry and I came up here…"

"Alright, alright," Dumbledore patiently held up a hand to stop the lengthy story. "I think we all get the general idea. Thank you very much Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger. You have again shown quick thinking and by the sound of it, you may have saved this girl's life."

Snape looked like he had swallowed a lemon. McGonagall let out a shaky breath, but there was a hint of pride in her smile, nonetheless.

"Hum, yes I do have to say that the children did help," Pomfrey agreed. "But this girl has been through quite a lot."

Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape joined Madam Pomfrey by the girl's bedside. Out of curiosity, the three students slowly approached from behind them. And for the first time, they actually got their first real look at the girl. With all the excitement going on, they hadn't been able to notice much of anything. So there they saw her, lying peacefully on the hospital bed.

She looked liked she was about their age, but they weren't quite sure. She had shoulder length hair of a dirty blond color, with several different shades of blonde and brown running through it. Since she was currently unconscious, they couldn't tell what color her eyes were. But they were really surprised at the many scrapes and cuts they saw all over her face, hands and arms.

"I've had time to perform an external examination so far," Pomfrey continued. "As you can see, it looks like this poor girl has been in fight. I found a particularly nasty cut on her abdomen. If you ask me, I'd say it came from a wand. She was probably dueling before she ended up here."

The three professors all exchanged an uneasy glance. "How long will she need to recover, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked. "If it is the case that she was indeed in a fight, I would like to ask her a few questions when she is fully ready."

"Well, as long as she doesn't have too much internal damage, I'd say she'll be awake by tomorrow evening," Pomfrey tried to be optimistic. "But her body has suffered extensive damage. I believe her injuries caused her to pass out before she arrived here in the infirmary, which perhaps would explain why she collapsed into the lake. The girl was probably riding on that broom of hers, and then fell into the water. I'll give her something to keep her asleep just to be sure. She needs rest more than anything right now."

"Indeed she does," Dumbledore nodded. "Then we shall wait until tomorrow evening to speak to our mysterious guest. Until that time, if it's alright with you Poppy, I think that everyone else here can go back to their rooms."

"Oh…I suppose," Pomfrey eyed the three students present.

"Alright, let's move along," McGonagall made little sweeping gestures towards the doors. "You three are old enough now that you don't have to be told twice."

"But we want to stay!"

"We're still in our hospital gowns!"

"I think I'm getting a fever!"

"Nonsense," McGonagall flicked her wand towards their piled robes and instantly they were dried. Dumbledore and Snape made their way out of the infirmary and they were soon joined by McGonagall. She called over her shoulder as she passed through the entrance door. "Be the responsible students I know you are and hurry back to Gryffindor."

Still grumbling minutes later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the infirmary themselves.

"I think you should have pushed that fever thing a bit more Ron," Harry said.

"I wanted to find out who that girl is," Ron muttered before receiving an elbow in his ribs from Hermione. "Hey! Watch it there."

"Don't be silly, Ron," Hermione scolded. "We'll find out who she is soon enough. You know we always find out everything."

"Tomorrow, then," Harry agreed. "We'll find out who she is tomorrow."

* * *

**A/N**: Well…? Want to see where this is going? Please review! Next chapter coming soon. 

**Next Chapter**: Who is Hogwarts's new guest? Will she be waking up anytime soon?


	2. A New Arrival Part 2

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**Chapter 2: A New Arrival – Part 2**

The next day of classes seemed slow and torturous to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Nothing could move fast enough. The minutes felt like hours, and each class felt like a lifetime. The evening just seemed so far away. In their opinion, it would never come. That's why it was such a relief when they all sat down for supper.

"Honestly," Ron said. "Snape was even worse today than usual. That was one of the worst Potions classes we've had in months. I swear he was extra mad with us because of yesterday."

"It's not really fair," Hermione agreed. "After all, it's not our fault that we happened to find that girl. It was all pure coincidence. If we hadn't found her, someone else would have. It was only a matter of time."

"Time that she may not have had," Harry said, staring into space. "That girl could have died. No one else was around. She would have drowned in the lake for sure."

"Now that's a scary thought," Ron shuddered. The three friends quickly ate their supper. They wanted to go back to the hospital wing and see the mystery girl. Just as they were about to leave, Professor McGonagall swiftly approached.

"I suppose you three are wondering about the girl you rescued yesterday," she looked at them seriously. "And knowing your great sense of curiosity, you probably want to see her," their three heads nodded eagerly. "Well, Dumbledore has agreed to let you come along. I was just about to go to the hospital wing myself. You three may come with me, if you wish."

No one needed to be asked twice. In a heartbeat, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were following McGonagall as she made her way through the halls to the infirmary. When the four of them walked through the hospital wing doors, they saw that Dumbledore and Snape were already there.

"Ah, there you are Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore turned to greet them. "I see you have brought the rescuers. If it is alright with Madam Pomfrey, we shall attempt to get some much needed answers from our guest."

That's when Dumbledore moved aside, revealing the young woman lying on the hospital bed. Harry saw that most of her cuts and scrapes were gone, but she still looked very pale. He knew that she probably wasn't completely healed. The poor girl was much too beat up yesterday to be back to normal so soon. She looked so peaceful right now. Her head was rolled to one side, and she had one arm draped across her abdomen. Naturally, her eyes were still closed, making her light brown eyelashes appear extra long. Despite her condition, Harry could still tell that she was sort of pretty.

"I've kept her asleep since yesterday," Madam Pomfrey came bustling out of nowhere. "Poor girl really needed her rest."

"Is it safe to wake her, Poppy?" McGonagall said, gazing at the girl's face.

"I believe so. I didn't find anything too serious on the inside, nothing that couldn't be fixed. She'll be sore, that's no doubt. There's not much I can do about that. But she'll definitely be fit to talk…if she wants to, that is. I only hope she's still okay in her head, if you know what I mean."

"Can we wake her up, then, Poppy," Snape inhaled deeply through his nose.

"Of course, of course. I'll give her something to drink and then we'll be ready. And it might be best if the children take a few steps back. Who knows what will happen when she wakes up?" As the three students back-tracked towards the doorway, Madame Pomfrey lifted the girl's head and forced a bit of nasty looking liquid down her throat. After she stepped away from the bed, everyone just watched to see what would happen next.

At first, nothing happened. The girl remained totally still. Then suddenly, she let out a deep and hoarse cough, probably from the liquid. She was awake. The girl slowly rolled onto her side and coughed some more. She finally was able to catch her breath. In very slow movements, she started to lift her head…but suddenly stopped as if she knew that something was different. Then her eyes quickly snapped open. Her gazed promptly found Madame Pomfrey, who was the closest one to her. Her eyes were instantly filled with panic.

"Now my dear, there's nothing to worry about," Pomfrey said in a soothing voice. "You've been injured and you're in the hospital…"

But Pomfrey never did get a chance to finish her sentence. Before anyone could react, the girl flipped herself out of her bed. She landed on the other side, between the bed and the nearby window. Her head whipped once from side to side, as if she was assessing her environment. Snape's hand was starting to reach for his wand, but the girl was faster. Her eyes darkened in concentration. Her hand flew out behind her in a throwing motion. At that exact same moment, the window by her bed exploded into a million pieces.

"LOOK OUT!" Pomfrey shouted as the glass pieces flew towards everyone. They all had just enough time to duck and cover their faces.

Harry risked a glance through the cracks in his closed fingers. He saw the girl launch herself over the hospital bed. She managed to run by Pomfrey and the professors as they recovered from the shock of the explosion. Maybe most of the glass hadn't reached him, Ron, and Hermione, since they all were standing farther away. Or maybe Harry was just stupid. Either way he wasn't thinking clearly. In that split second, Harry decided to block the doorway, cutting off the girl's escape route.

"Going somewhere?" Harry asked furiously. He had no intention of letting her pass, not after pulling a stunt like that.

The girl came to a screeching halt. It was only then that Harry got his first good look at her face. It was the same as yesterday except now he saw two vivid green eyes staring back at him. All of a sudden, those two green eyes grew wide with fear and horror. It was as if she hadn't noticed him in the room until now. The girl stepped backwards, looking at Harry as if he was a ghost.

"Is everyone alright," McGonagall said in a shaky voice.

Slowly and carefully, the others in room started to straighten themselves up. The girl tore her eyes away from Harry, only to turn to her right and see Ron and Hermione. Her mouth fell open in a silent gasp. She took another step backwards, only to turn again to see Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Madame Pomfrey. It didn't seem possible, but at that moment the girl's face became deadly white. Her eyes came back to Harry. They were filled with such terror and alarm, causing Harry's harsh glare to falter slightly.

"What is the MEANING of this?" Snape bellowed, as he brushed shards of glass off his robe. Once again, his hand reached for his wand.

"Severus!" Dumbledore raised his hand to him. "Do not move. Everyone stay where they are."

The mystery girl opened her mouth, as if she was going to speak. But she took one more look around the room and her mouth quickly clamped shut. Harry, meanwhile, could not stop looking at her. When her eyes finally made their way back to Harry's, he saw something new in them. He saw shame and defeat, and that only confused him more.

Suddenly, she took a deep, shuddering breath. When she let it out, it was a cross between a sigh and soft whimper. At that moment, her legs seemed to give out on her. She stumbled backwards until she hit a wall. When her back made contact, she let her entire body slide down to the cold floor. She promptly buried her face in her knees and let out another whimper. Then she slowly started to rock herself back and forth. Nobody knew what to think. Here was a strange girl, curled up in a little ball, and she was acting like she had just escaped from a mental institution.

"Oh dear, I thought this might happen," Madam Pomfrey sighed. Everyone else turned to look at her. "I suspected that she might have psychological problems. Whatever happened to her obviously messed her up in the head. Who knows how long she'll be like this?"

"Well, something must be done to help her," McGonagall said. "We can not leave this poor girl in this kind of state. What can we do to help her?"

"Perhaps we should send her straight to St. Mungo's," Snape nearly sneered. "She's clearly mentally unstable. We should take all the necessary precautions. And has anyone checked to make sure she is unarmed? Not that that would do much good, as we have just seen, but someone in her state should not be carrying a wand."

"I assure you Severus, I checked her thoroughly," Madam Pomfrey huffed. "I put all her personal possessions in that box by her bed. I already found a wand and some other items and they're all there together."

As soon as Snape had said the word 'wand', the girl had stopped her rocking. After hearing Pomfrey's explanation, she immediately bolted across the room…again, much to the aggravation of everyone else. This time she dove for the brown box that she hadn't acknowledged before. Her knees skidded across the glass-covered floor, but she didn't seem to notice. Once she had reached her target, her hands were instantly rummaging frantically through her few belongings. She searched desperately until she finally found what she was looking for.

No one else could see exactly what it was, but it looked like she held it tight in one of her hands. She brought her closed fist up to her chest and took another deep breath. Though this time, it was a breath of relief, like she had been so afraid of losing whatever she held tight in her hands. It didn't take long for her to realize that everyone was still staring at her. She looked at them, then down at herself. That's when she noticed that her knees were covered with blood. She slowly started to stand, but winced as her feet dug into the tiny pieces of glass on the floor.

"My dear girl," Madam Pomfrey said carefully. "You need medical attention for those cuts. Will you allow me to help you?"

The girl looked at Pomfrey, but gave no response.

"Can you understand me?" Pomfrey tried again. Again, nothing. The girl only stared at her.

"Why bother, Poppy?" Snape rolled his eyes. "This girl is evidently too wild to understand anything. She hasn't even said a word yet, now has she? What makes you think she can even speak English? For all we know she may be mute."

"Words are not all that important," Dumbledore said calmly. "One does not need words to communicate. There are many other ways to convey thoughts or ideas."

"Of course, but she hasn't even tried," Snape muttered.

At that moment, the girl turned to look at Snape. It was hard to tell if she understood what he was saying about her. She didn't really have any clear expression on her face. She just glanced at him, almost out of curiosity. Snape didn't like it one bit. It made him feel uncomfortable. He nearly broke eye contact with her, but he wasn't going to back down to some wild girl.

As it was, the girl chose to break eye contact first. She gazed at her hand again, and then stooped back down to the box. She grabbed her robe and started wrapping it around whatever she was holding in her fist. Then she stuffed the robe back into the box and shoved it all underneath the bed. Her message was clear. She obviously did not want anyone to touch what was in that box.

She stood up straight and looked to Madam Pomfrey. She started to take one step forward but stopped since the glass pieces were now digging into her bare feet.

"Will you let me help you?" Madam Pomfrey asked again. This time the girl glanced down to her knees, then carefully up to Pomfrey. "I'll take that as a yes. But first we need to do something about all this glass…and my missing window."

"Consider it taken care of," McGonagall flicked her wand and all the glass magically disappeared. The window was also back in place. Once the girl noticed that everything was clear, she cautiously made her way to her bed. She sat down with her shoulders slumped. She peered at everyone else in the room, but quickly lowered in head in shame.

"Well, maybe we can get some work done around here!" Pomfrey huffed. She marched over to the girl and started examining her new cuts.

"I believe we should all leave for the moment," Dumbledore said. "There has been enough excitement in the hospital wing for one day. And I don't think our guest will be going anywhere."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all gaped at Dumbledore. Wasn't he going to question the girl after what she had done! It was like he was totally letting her off the hook. Apparently, Snape was thinking the exact same thing.

"Professor Dumbledore," he said with forced clam. "Perhaps it would be better to question the girl now. I do not see any good in waiting to get answers from her. She could be a safety hazard for the school."

"A safety hazard!" McGonagall exclaimed. "The poor girl was scared out of her mind! What she did was dangerous, but she was only trying to protect herself. Imagine waking up in a roomful of strangers. What would you have done?"

"I agree with Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore said calmly. "We shall hold off any major questioning until later. Now I think it would be best if you three returned to your common room," Dumbledore glanced at the three resentful teenagers. "I know you would like to stay here and learn more about this girl, but now is not such a good time."

"But what's going to happen!" Harry blurted out.

"I'm not quite sure, Harry. I think the rest of us will try to sort things out. In the meantime, I will let you three know if we need any more help. You have already done so much, and for that I thank you."

"You're welcome," Harry, Hermione, and Ron muttered. So without having anything else to do, they reluctantly left the hospital wing together. No one said a word at first. Not until Ron suddenly shouted.

"Can you believe what happened! Did you see that window explode! That was bloody amazing! How'd it happen anyway!"

"Honestly, I think she did it," Harry said. "She broke the window."

"You really think so?" Hermione looked thoughtful. "I mean, I knew witches and wizards could do some wandless magic, but I never heard of anything so extreme."

"I don't know Harry," Ron shook his head. "I don't think she could've done it. That was one huge explosion for her to make. There was a lot of power behind it too. She'd have to be one hell of a witch to pull that off."

"I'm telling you guys, it was her," Harry insisted. "Take it from the guy who made a glass wall disappear, and turned his Aunt Marge into a big fat balloon. Oh, yeah, and I also ripped open the door to the cupboard under the stairs without actually touching it. Trust me, it wouldn't take much to break a window if you were really, really scared."

"I still don't know," Ron said. "No one in my family's ever done something like that."

"But why would anyone in your family want to do something like that?" Hermione looked at Ron like he was crazy.

"I guess you're right. Mom would have a fit. She got mad enough at Fred and George for their experiments. Don't know what she'd do if we purposely broke a window."

"So now what do we do?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject.

"Nothing for the moment," Harry sighed. "We'll figure out something later. Maybe Dumbledore will have some news after he talks with McGonagall and Snape. I don't know about you, but I want to know who that girl is and what she's doing here. Something tells me that she's here for a reason."

"Well," Hermione's eyes narrowed in determination. "Looks like we have a new mystery on hands."

**

* * *

A/N: Thank you for the reviews. Again, please let me know what you think. Opinions? Comments? **

**Next Chapter**: Harry, Hermione, and Ron try to visit the new girl in the hospital wing…Dumbledore makes a surprising request.


	3. The Perfect Excuse

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks to all you reviewers and people who are interested in my story! I appreciate the encouragement. And now...on with the show!

**Chapter 3: The Perfect Excuse **

As it turned out, Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't have to wait long to make any new discoveries. Like any good detective, they went straight to the source. They returned to the hospital wing the very next day, hoping to catch a glimpse of the new girl.

Hermione carefully opened up the door and stuck her head inside. After confirming that the coast was clear, the three curious teenagers slipped inside the infirmary. They carefully tip-toed past Pomfrey's office area and made their way to the girl's bed. When they approached it, they could only see a big lump lying underneath the sheets. The girl had completely covered herself.

"Uh," Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, shrugging his shoulders. "Hello? Anyone home in there?"

Suddenly, a set of fingers curled around the edge of the sheet. They slowly pulled the sheet down to reveal two vivid green eyes. Once again, Harry found it hard to look away. "Hi there," he said softly. "My name's Harry. This is Ron and that's Hermione. We're students here."

"This is a school," Hermione explained. "It's called Hogwarts."

"But this part is the hospital wing," Ron added. "Uh…just in case you didn't notice."

"What's your name?" Harry asked. The girl lowered the sheet down to her chin.

"WHAT are you three DOING here!"

"Uh-oh," Ron said.

Madam Pomfrey came rushing out of her office, wagging her finger at them. The new girl looked at Pomfrey like she had been caught doing something wrong. She quickly glanced at the others before she dove back down underneath her sheet. Harry didn't want to see her go. If only they had had more time to talk to her.

"You three shouldn't be bothering the poor girl," Pomfrey continued to scold them. "She's still recuperating. She also doesn't like to be around other people."

"But she was just…"

"I don't care what she was doing. All of you should leave immediately. I will not have you bothering my patient. Now out you go! Out! Out! OUT!"

-----

"I really can't believe her!" Ron exclaimed. "It's not like we were doing anything wrong. All we wanted to do was talk to the girl."

"I agree," Hermione nodded as they stormed away from the hospital wing. "It was completely uncalled for. And we're Head Boy and Girl for goodness sake. If we aren't allowed into the infirmary, then who is?"

"Someone with Dumbledore's permission," Harry said. "If Dumbledore says it's okay, then Pomfrey would have to let us in."

"Do you think he'd really let us go see the girl?" Ron asked uncertainly.

"I think so," Harry thought about it. "Just give me some time and I'll think of something. I could always find some reason to go see him and then I could ask him about it. It'll have to be convincing, though. Dumbledore would see right through any lame excuse."

"Hold on a second," Hermione stopped in the middle of the hallway. Harry and Ron came to a screeching, less graceful stop. "Why in the world are we so interested in this girl? Don't you think it's a bit obsessive?"

The boys couldn't find an answer to that one. Why were they so interested in her?

"Well…" Harry started. "We did save her, after all. Shouldn't we be allowed to know who she is?"

"Yeah, and we're known for being curious too," Ron added. "'Cause we're always sticking our noses into every mystery that comes our way. That's a good thing though. Aurors need to be good at solving mysteries."

"Alright," Hermione eyed them suspiciously. "I suppose it has nothing to do with the fact that she is a _girl_."

"Well it doesn't hurt that she's a girl," Ron shrugged casually.

"But that doesn't really matter to us," Harry tried to be convincing. Hermione just rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, like I'm actually buying that. Just so we're clear, I'm only doing this for you guys. I know the both of you must be dying to meet her properly and all."

"Thanks, Hermione!" Ron beamed.

"Whatever," Hermione let out a huge sigh. She opened her mouth to say something else, but she shook her head instead and took off walking. "The things I help you with…"

Harry and Ron had to run to catch up with her. As they walked together, Ron whispered, "Hey, Harry? Is it just me or is there something wrong with Hermione?"

"I don't know Ron," Harry lied.

Truthfully, Harry did see that something was amiss, but he wasn't saying a word. He had finally learned to keep his mouth firmly shut when it came to 'Ron and Hermione'.

-----

Harry thought long and hard about an excuse to go see Dumbledore. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of anything believable. You'd think that after six years of dealing with a Dark wizard, he'd be able to come up with _something_. As luck would have it, though, the perfect opportunity fell into his lap. Two days later, Professor McGonagall asked Harry to stay behind after Transfiguration.

"Is something the matter, Professor?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, that is why I wanted to speak with you," McGonagall looked at little stressed and tired. Harry wasn't used to seeing her like this, and it worried him. "Professor Dumbledore and I had a talk this morning. The situation with the girl in hospital wing is not getting any better."

"What's wrong with her?" Harry suddenly felt very uneasy. "Did something bad happen? Is she alright?"

"I'd rather not discuss any specifics right now. Dumbledore can explain everything to you himself. He would like to speak with you as soon as you can manage to see him."

"I have a short break before lunch time," Harry said in a rush. "I could go talk to him right now."

"That sounds good to me," McGonagall nodded. "The sooner the better in my opinion. And if you need the password to Dumbledore's office, it's _Licorice Wands_."

"Thanks Professor!" Harry called over his shoulder as he ran from the classroom. He nearly flew through the hallways, narrowly missing other students along the way. At one point, he even ran by Hermione and Ron, who were waiting for him to join them. "Can't stop! Must see Dumbledore!" Harry waved in their general direction but didn't slow down.

"Well that was odd," Hermione said.

"I'd say," Ron just stared after Harry with his mouth open. "I wonder what's so important. Hey, maybe it has something to do with the girl!"

Hermione could only sigh in exasperation.

-----

Harry reached Dumbledore's office in record time. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, then opened his mouth and said, "_Licorice Wands_!" As always, the gargoyle leapt aside and Harry was able to ascend the spiral staircase. He wasted no time as he knocked firmly on the office door.

"Come in," Dumbledore's voice said from the other side. Harry entered and saw Dumbledore sitting at his desk with his hands fingertips to fingertips. It looked like he had been deep in thought. But now Dumbledore's eyes turned to Harry, who was anxiously standing in the doorway. "Hello, Harry! Please have a seat."

Harry approached the desk and sat down in a small, cozy armchair. His eyes never left Dumbledore's, as he waited for the elder wizard to continue.

"I can see that you are very concerned about what I have to say," Dumbledore said, smiling softly. "Therefore, I shall not keep you in suspense. I do want to talk about our new guest in the infirmary. And as I said before, I would let you know if we needed help. Well, I believe we may need your help in order to communicate with her."

"But why?" Harry was so confused. "Can't you talk to her? Won't she listen to you?"

"Apparently not," Dumbledore shrugged. "You see, Harry, after you left with Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, Madam Pomfrey finished cleaning the girl's new injuries. When Madam Pomfrey had finished, the girl immediately pulled the sheets up over her head. She disappeared into her bed and refused to do anything else."

"That's the way we found her too," Harry spoke before he realized what he was saying. He instantly flushed with embarrassment. "I…uh…I mean that we…"

"That's quite alright, Harry," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Madame Pomfrey told me about your unannounced visit."

"We didn't mean to cause any trouble," Harry tried to defend what he and his friends had done. "We only wanted to talk to her. That's all we were doing too. It's not like we were going to disturb her or anything."

"I understand. In fact, I thank you once again for taking the initiative in going to see her."

"Huh," Harry tried to understand. Sometimes Dumbledore was hard to figure out.

"Madam Pomfrey also told me that you three were talking to her," Dumbledore explained. "She was surprised to see the girl actually looking at you. You were able to bring her out from beneath her sheets. That is not something we were able to accomplish."

"You mean she wouldn't even look at you!" Harry couldn't believe it.

"That is true. Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and I tried everything we could to get her attention. But the girl simply refused to remove the bed sheets. We've been discussing the situation for several days now. I'm afraid we've run out of ideas. That is why we need your help."

"So you want me to go talk to her?" Harry could hardly believe his luck. Here was the perfect opportunity for him to find out more about the girl.

"Yes, you, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "If you will agree to help, I'd like you all to take turns in visiting her. You may go see her alone, but I think it would be wise to send Mr. Weasley with Miss Granger."

"Yeah," Harry grinned. "Ron might tell her some really bad jokes or something. That would only make things worse."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore gave a little chuckle. "But I have much faith in all three of you. I'm sure that with your help, our guest will become better."

"So you really think we can make a difference?"

"I believe you can make a huge difference. You are, after all, much younger than the rest of the professors. The rest of us are old fuddy-duddies. It will be easier for our guest to make connections with people her own age. And if I'm not mistaken, you may have already begun a connection."

"Hardly," Harry sounded very much annoyed. "We weren't even in there for three minutes before we were kicked out. That wasn't a lot of time."

"But it may have been enough," Dumbledore said significantly. "A connection only needs a moment. One mere moment can mean everything, Harry. Do not underestimate yourself. You alone could help this girl and bring her back to the world. All that you have been through will make you better at this task, if you choose to accept it."

Harry sat quietly in thought. Part of him knew that this was the truth. And if there was anything he could do to help this girl, he would give her everything she needed. "Alright," Harry looked Dumbledore straight in the eye. "I'll do it. When do you want me to start?"

"Whenever you are ready."

"Okay," Harry mentally went over his calendar. "Since tomorrow is Friday I can go visit her after classes. That way we can have a longer time to talk but it won't have to tire her out either."

"That sounds like a great plan," Dumbledore agreed. "Then Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger can visit her on Saturday and you could take Sunday, if you wanted to."

"Oh, I'm sure I can manage it," Harry tried to suppress a huge smile. This was too awesome! Free, authorized time with the new girl!

Ron will piss himself when he hears about it.

-----

Harry found Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Lunch had already started by the time Harry sat down to join them. He didn't say a word, but there was a small, secretive smile on his face. It drove Hermione and Ron insane!

"Well!" Hermione asked.

"Well what?" Harry tried his best to look innocent.

"Oh, no you don't," Ron waved his fork menacingly at Harry. "We know you went to see Dumbledore. You told us yourself as you raced past us earlier. Now you'd better spill, or else!"

"Or else what?" Harry grinned.

"Or else…or else I'll purposely let a few Quaffles through the hoops in our next game!"

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you," Harry raised his hands in surrender. "Looks like we're in. Dumbledore wants us to visit the girl on a regular basis. We have to get her talking to us."

"Really!" apparently Ron was getting a belated Christmas gift.

"So is this some kind of therapy?" Hermione asked.

"Actually, I'm not quite sure," Harry admitted. "I think it kind of is like therapy, except we're not really professionals. But Dumbledore seems to think that we'd do a better job than anyone else. And this girl does need some help. We all saw for ourselves what she was like."

"Absolutely," Hermione said. "Then that settles it. If we're her only hope, then we'll do our best won't we? I suppose I should do some research on different therapeutic techniques."

"Thera-what?" Ron gave Hermione a strange look. "Come on, Hermione. We just have to talk to her. After everything that we've been through, this should be easy as pumpkin pie."

Hum…the truth, or the biggest understatement of the year.

-----

**A/N**: If you've made it down here, please take a moment to review!

**Next chapter**: Harry's first official visit to the infirmary…the mystery girl gets a new name.


	4. Jane

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: thanks for the reviews guys! You're all awesome.

**Chapter 4: Jane**

As soon as his classes were over on Friday, Harry went straight to the hospital wing. He encountered Madam Pomfrey just as he was walking through the doors.

"Now don't you go upsetting her," Madam Pomfrey warned him sternly. "I agree with Dumbledore that something must be done to help this girl but I will not allow anyone to make things worse. If I see that this isn't working…"

"Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey," Harry tried to reassure the nurse. "I won't say or do anything drastic. I'll be perfectly calm and boring."

"Make sure that you are!" she said before disappearing into her office.

Once Pomfrey was gone, Harry turned his attention to the lumpy hospital bed. This time there was something different. Harry could already see half of girl's face from underneath the sheets. Obviously she had heard him speaking with Pomfrey. Harry gave her a little smile as he approached the bed.

"Hello again," Harry said softly. "I'm Harry. Do you remember me?"

And just like before, the girl gave no answer. She only stared at Harry from the safety of her sheets. Harry sighed.

"May I sit down?" Harry gestured to a chair that was near the bed. But after receiving even more silence, he decided to take a seat anyway. Once he was settled in, it was only a matter of finding something to say. "So…uh…what's a girl like you doing in place like this?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Harry froze in horror. Where did that come from!

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry," Harry couldn't apologize fast enough. "I can't believe I just said that! And here I was worried that Ron would be the one to say something inappropriate. I don't know what…"

And again, Harry froze. This time, though, it was for a completely different reason. In his rush to apologize he hadn't even noticed the change in the girl's eyes. One minute they had been unresponsive. Now they were absolutely sparkling with mirth. Harry also noticed that her hands were still underneath the sheet, but now it seemed like they were clamped firmly over her mouth as well.

"Are you…are you laughing at me?" Harry was in shock. The girl's eyes went wide, like she just realized that she had been caught. But they never lost any emotion. They just were bigger than before.

"I can't believe it," Harry said to the ceiling. "The girl is laughing at me."

Well, not quite laughing since technically she wasn't making any sound. But according to her eyes, yes, she was laughing her butt off at him. Harry didn't know if that made him feel better or worse.

"Well I'm glad you're amused," Harry muttered. "Here I am trying to be nice to you and this is how you repay me? What kind of gratitude is that?"

The girl suddenly stopped laughing. She looked frozen, like a small child who had just been scolded. Harry instantly wanted to kick himself.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry…again," Harry hung his head in shame. "I'm not really upset at you, just more embarrassed. It's great that you were smiling, though. I almost thought you couldn't understand what I was saying. Now I know for sure. You can understand us."

Harry looked up and received a huge shock. The girl had let the sheet drop down to her chin. Now her whole face was visible, and the sheet was wrapped firmly around her shoulders. She sat there staring at Harry again; only this time there was more to her usual blank stare. She looked very solemn, like she was so sorry about making fun of him. But there was also something more. It was something that he couldn't quite understand.

"So why didn't you let us know?" Harry asked her urgently. "Snape…that was the big, dark scary man, he was convinced you were a mental case. Why didn't you prove him wrong? And even if you can't speak, there are other was of communicating. It's just like Dumbledore said."

That's when the girl hung her head in shame. Suddenly everything clicked into place. The girl wanted to speak, but for some reason she couldn't. Something was preventing her from opening up to them. Whatever it was wouldn't allow her to talk about what had happened to her. Maybe she was afraid; afraid of what would happen to her if she did talk. Or maybe Madam Pomfrey had been right. Maybe she had suffered so many traumas that she was unable to relive those horrible moments.

All this went through Harry's mind as he watched her torn expression. Something in the core of his soul told him that this girl had been to hell and back. He could see it so clearly in her eyes. There wasn't any doubt about it. Her eyes, though they were a vivid green, looked so old and worn. It almost didn't seem possible for someone so young, and yet her eyes looked as old as Dumbledore himself.

She had been through a lot in her short life. That was something Harry could relate to. As he looked into her eyes, they reminded him of his own. Harry had to wonder, did his eyes look so old as well? But he already knew the answer. If anyone looked hard enough, they would see the same age in his eyes too. Once Harry realized this, he wanted nothing more than to help this girl. She needed a lifeline, a rock to keep her grounded. And he was going to be that rock for her.

"Hey," Harry tried to make her look up at him. "It'll be okay. You're at Hogwarts now. There are lots of people here who can help you. And I promise you that'll get through this. Whatever happened doesn't matter anymore. Alright?"

The girl slowly raised her eyes to meet Harry's. They were almost emotionless again, but Harry caught a hint of gratitude in them. It was a hesitant and careful gratitude, though it was a good start. Then, as if she was very tired, she laid her head down on her pillow. She simply stayed there in her bed, just looking up at Harry with her big soulful eyes.

"Well," a thought suddenly occurred to Harry. "If you're going to stay here until you get better, what will we call you? You need a name. Obviously we can't go around calling you The Girl, or Hey You. Uh…don't suppose you'd tell me your real name?"

Harry received a subtle 'I don't think so' glare from the girl.

"Alright, then, I'll just have to choose one for you. How about…oh, I know! We'll call you Jane. You know, Jane Doe, unidentified person. That fits you perfectly. I think you kind of look like a Jane anyway."

Harry almost laughed when the girl turned her head. She buried her face into her pillow with mild disgust.

"Okay, so Jane may not be the best name but it's what you get until you finally tell us your real name."

She raised her head to give Harry an almost glare. It didn't have much affect. Her hair was all in her face, and that just wasn't very intimidating. So she let her head fall back down to the pillow.

"You know this is how it's going to be," Harry tried to get her to look at him again. "At least until you're ready to face the world. You won't be in here forever, Jane. Take all the time you need. We'll be right here for you and we aren't going anywhere."

'Jane' smiled faintly as Harry used her new name. Well, it could be worse. Harry could have named her Nymphadora.

"I think I should go now," Harry slowly stood up from the chair, not wanting to alarm her. "But I'll be back. You'll have other visitors too. Ron and Hermione will stop by tomorrow. Hopefully Ron will behave himself, but I can't see how he could top my smooth opening line. Besides, Hermione will be here too. They're really nice people. I think you'll like them."

Harry gave one last glance to Jane before he turned to leave. He paused at the infirmary doors and looked over his shoulder. Jane was still gazing at him with a hint of wonder. He gave her a soft smile, and then left the hospital wing.

He didn't see Jane roll onto her back. He missed how she stared at the ceiling with a clear expression written all over her face:

_What am I going to do now_?

-----

Harry refused to talk to Ron or Hermione about his visit with Jane. They pestered him and asked oodles of questions but he wouldn't say a word. The only thing he revealed was that he had named her Jane. Harry promised them that he would tell them everything once they had a chance to see her too.

And so Ron and Hermione went to see Jane in the hospital wing on Saturday afternoon. Harry was waiting for them in the common room. They had identical expressions of anxiety on their faces when they came through the portrait door.

"Well?" Harry asked. Hermione and Ron exchanged a concerned look.

"Well, things weren't much better than last time," Hermione started slowly. "She was still hiding beneath her sheets. We could see about half of her face but that was about it. And she still didn't say a word."

"It was so bloody awkward!" Ron plopped himself down in a cozy chair. "We didn't know what to say. We were just sitting there doing nothing!"

"You mean you were just sitting there," Hermione rolled her eyes as she sat down as well. "I was the one trying to talk to her. You could have said more than one word comments."

"I didn't do much better myself," Harry interrupted them before they started arguing. "She didn't talk to me either. I did see her whole face, though, and she did kind of laugh at me at one point."

"She laughed at you!" Ron quickly sat upright. "What did you say to make her do that? How come we didn't make her laugh?"

Harry's face turned a nice shade of red. "I sort of told her a joke," Harry didn't bother to elaborate. "It just came out and then she started laughing. But she wasn't really laughing; it was mainly in her eyes. They weren't blank like before."

"I know what you mean," Hermione said. "The only thing that was really different this time was her eyes. You must have done something good, Harry. Jane didn't talk to us but I could see a change in her eyes. It's like you said. When we first met her, her eyes were so blank. But now they're more expressive."

"I think she could understand us too," Ron added.

"Of course she could understand us!"

"You could tell?" Harry was suddenly very alert. "Did she do anything when you were there? Did she make any faces at you guys?"

"Uh, faces, Harry?" Hermione looked at him like he was loony.

"You know!" Harry threw his hands in the air. "Expressions? Like sadness, happiness, or down right annoyance!"

"Not really," Ron said.

"Yeah," Hermione added. "She'd be a superb poker player."

"Poker?"

"I'll explain later," Harry said. "Alright, Hermione. Spill. Why do you think she's a poker player?"

"Well, she's obviously hiding something. Maybe she doesn't want everyone to know what happened to her. But whatever she's hiding, she's a lot smarter than she's letting on."

"How can you tell?"

"It's in her eyes, Harry! Jane is a smart girl. She could be just as intelligent as the rest of us. The only problem is, we can't find that out unless she talks."

No one said anything for a few moments. They were all thinking of the same thing, and Harry finally voiced their thoughts. "Then we have to gain her trust. Maybe that will get her talking again."

"Oh, no," Ron rolled his eyes. "I know that look. Harry's made up his mind. Nothing's going to stop him now."

"Oh, shut up," Harry felt like throwing something in Ron's general direction. "I just want to help the girl. The trouble is, I'm going to run out of ideas. I won't know what to say to her after a while. So what can I do to help her?"

"We should bring her books to read," Hermione said after some thought. "She must be awfully bored in the hospital wing. Reading would help her pass the time."

"And that's Hermione's solution to everything," Ron pumped his fist into the air. "Books!"

Ron earned himself a good slap upside his head.

-----

Professor Dumbledore was sitting at the Head Table, finishing his lemon pie, when Professor McGonagall came and sat in the seat next to him. It was Sunday night, meaning that the weekend was finally coming to a close.

"Hello Professor," Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "I assume you heard Madam Pomfrey's news?"

"Indeed I have," McGonagall said seriously. "I must say, I don't know what to think. I'm somewhat surprised to hear that those three are doing so well with Jane."

"Ah, yes. Jane. What a lovely name. A wonderful idea, really, giving the girl a name. I'm

glad that Harry came up with the idea. It's very original. It seems to be working well."

"Poppy told me that she was actually showing her face," McGonagall shook her head in disbelief. "And to think we couldn't do anything for her. Now here she is interacting with the students."

"I thought that might happen," Dumbledore nodded gravely. "We are not as young as we used to be, Minerva. Our age is finally starting to show."

"Fiddlesticks," McGonagall huffed. "At any rate, Jane's progress is remarkable. She'll be up and about any day now."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore looked to the Gryffindor table. "Although it may take a while for them to gain her full trust."

McGonagall followed Dumbledore's line of sight to her house table. There she saw Harry sitting with Hermione and Ron. Harry was leaning over the table to whisper something to his friends. McGonagall strongly suspected it had something to do with his latest visit to the infirmary this afternoon.

"They are doing a fairly good job at keeping this a secret," McGonagall was rather impressed. "I don't know if the other students know about Jane or not."

"I believe that a few people know," Dumbledore said. "Not much has been said about her so far. But knowing this school, there will be a full report on Jane by the end of the week."

"Is that such a good idea?" McGonagall frowned. "Perhaps there is something we can do to stop it."

"I think we should leave it be for now. Everything should be fine as long as Jane remains in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey will keep her safe. Rumours and stories will have no affect on Jane while she is there."

"And what will happen if she wants to leave the hospital wing!" McGonagall was positively concerned. Dumbledore, on the other hand, was positively clam. In fact, he had a genuine smile on his face.

"She will eventually want to leave. And we should let her when the time comes."

"Wonderful," McGonagall. "This school doesn't need anymore excitement."

"Ah, Professor, but it cannot be helped. Things are going to get quite interesting around here."

-----

**A/N**: hey, there. I don't read minds people, so pretty please, review.

**Next Chapter**: a field trip to the library…Jane and Harry run into some unexpected company on the way back to the infirmary


	5. Journey to the Library

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. In other news, I just spent my first day substitute teaching yesterday; 13 and 14 year olds. Let's just say that by the end of the day I was thanking my lucky stars I was actually getting paid for it. No more unpaid work as a student teacher!

**Chapter 4: Journey to the Library **

It is common knowledge that when Albus Dumbledore makes a prediction, it usually comes true. And his latest prediction was no exception. It first started as a tentative whisper, and then by Thursday it had snowballed into a full-blown rumour.

The story was utter gossip about the "escaped mental patient" now living in the hospital wing. The mystery girl came all the way from St. Mungo's itself. And no one was allowed to visit her, except Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Of course, that fact wasn't so strange since most of the students in Hogwarts though they were kind of crazy themselves. It made sense, didn't it? Crazy people like the company of other crazy people…right?

As it was, all other students were banned from the hospital wing, unless it was an emergency. Luckily there weren't too many accidents or spells gone haywire. Jane was given lots of space and privacy in her little area of the infirmary. It was indeed 'her' little area, since she started to accumulate a large number of items.

Harry had brought her a vase filled with wild flowers. He hoped that they would cheer her up. He couldn't quite tell, though. She wore her poker face while he was presenting them to her. Jane also had a good collection of books, as suggested by Hermione. Harry had brought her a few, but Hermione had picked most of them out. There were books on fairy tales, action packed adventures, even one about Quidditch. And of course, no book collection could be complete without a copy of Hogwarts: A History.

Jane was getting better and better everyday. When Harry came to visit her mid week, he found her already sitting up in her bed. She was propped up on her pillow, reading one of the adventure novels. Gone was the shy, timid girl who hid beneath her sheets. Now Jane never hid her face from Harry. She still wasn't too out there with her emotions. But Harry was getting very skilled in reading subtle differences in Jane's famous poker face. A slight pull at the corner of her lips meant a smile. A faint narrowing of her eyes meant a frown.

The weekend came and went in a heartbeat. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to wait patiently for the next weekend to roll around again. It was awfully difficult for them to visit Jane during the week. Their schoolwork was the worst it had ever been. After all, they were studying for their NEWTS at the end of the school year. If they thought the professors had gone mental over OWLS, they knew now how wrong they had been.

Harry even found it hard to spare a few minutes to go see Jane. But luckily for him, Friday was on their doorstep in no time. He still had a lot of work to do, like doing research for his latest Potions essay, but he still was going to stop by to say a quick hello.

Harry slipped inside the hospital wing and nearly dropped his school bag in surprise. Jane was sitting on _top_ of her bed, and she was fully dressed. She wasn't wearing that ugly, plain hospital gown any more; she was wearing 'normal' clothes. Her black trousers were loose fitting and very comfortable looking. She also wore a blue, fitted t-shirt. To top it all off, she had a black cloak wrapped around her shoulders, probably for warmth.

Wait a minute…? Harry couldn't figure out where she had gotten the new clothes. Then it suddenly dawned on him that they were the same clothes she had been wearing when she first arrived at Hogwarts. Of course, they had been extremely wet and dirty at the time. It looked like Madame Pomfrey had cleaned and mended them for Jane.

"Wow," was all Harry could say as he crossed the infirmary floor. "You really look…different in normal clothes. I mean, it's not a bad different or anything. You were probably just tired of wearing that nasty hospital garb all the time."

Harry sat himself down in his usual chair. At first, he couldn't remember what he was going to say. The sight of Jane in regular clothes had completely thrown him off guard. Then his mind finally began to work again.

"Uh, yeah. So not much is going on with Ron and Hermione. Ron says hi, by the way. We actually got in some Quidditch practice the other night. It was only about twenty minutes but it felt really good to get out there for a while. Kind of cold, though, being January and all…"

So Harry continued to tell Jane all about the past few days. It was something he always did whenever he visited her. Sometimes he didn't know what to talk about, so he just told Jane about stuff that was happening around school. It wasn't quite gossip, it was more like he was reading a newspaper story to her. He was keeping her informed.

Time was flying by, and soon half an hour had passed. Harry realized that he had to get to the library pronto if he was going to get any research done. As much as he hated to do this, he had to say goodbye to Jane.

"Look, Jane," Harry said. "I'm really sorry, but I have to get going. I've love to stay and chat longer but I have this Potions paper to write. Believe me, I'd rather be here than in the library. Snape will have my head if I don't finish this essay on time."

As Harry got up to leave, Jane also slid off her hospital bed. She took one step in Harry's direction, like she wanted to get his attention. Well, she didn't have to work too hard to get it. Harry nearly froze half standing up he was so shocked by her being out of bed. He had never seen her leave that bed at any time during his visits.

"What?" Harry asked, slightly amused. "You don't want to come with me, do you?"

Jane nodded her head ever so slightly. Her eyes were fixed on his with a hint of fierce determination.

"Well…" Harry didn't know what to say! "It's only the library. Not the most exciting place in Hogwarts, you know. Are you sure you want to come? Are you ready to go out there?"

Harry nodded his head towards the infirmary doors. He knew the rest of the school was potentially dangerous for Jane, especially in her condition. But Jane just gave Harry this look, and he knew she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Okay," Harry said uncertainly. "Let's go see Madam Pomfrey. She might be willing to let you leave but I won't make any guarantees. She's pretty stubborn when it comes to her patients. And I have to warn you, it can get kind of scary out there in the school. We have our own resident bullies, gossips, stalkers, and anything else you can think of. Trust me, I've directly encountered all of them myself. They're not a cheery bunch."

-----

After much negotiation with Madam Pomfrey, Harry was finally able to take Jane away from the hospital wing. To be honest, Harry thought it was a wonderful idea. Jane had been locked away in the infirmary for nearly two weeks now. No wonder she was feeling a little stir crazy. She definitely needed a change of scenery.

There weren't too many students in the library, since it was a Friday afternoon. Students rarely started their work so soon on the weekends. This worked out to their advantage. Harry and Jane were able to find an empty table far away from anyone else. They both sat down and Harry pulled out his Potions research.

It was not going well. He had to find a list of ingredients for a complicated potion. The only problem was, he had no idea where to look. As Harry tried searching through his textbook for any clues, Jane quietly got up and started browsing through the nearby shelves.

When Harry finally looked up from his book, he saw that Jane had returned. She had brought a book back with her and was now totally absorbed in it. Harry had to squint to read the title, but once he read what it was he was obviously impressed.

"_Advanced Transfiguration: Skills and Techniques for Human Transfiguration,_" Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. Apparently Jane was _very_ smart, just like Hermione had said. "Wow. That's NEWT level material, Jane. Some people can't even manage it. You have to be really good in Transfiguration to do it."

Jane lifted her eyes for a brief second, only to shoot Harry a semi-annoyed look.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say that you weren't good at it. It just surprised me. But since we're talking about difficult subjects, you wouldn't happen to know much about Potions, would you? I can't seem to find the right information I need."

Harry was half joking when he asked Jane the question. He didn't expect her to lean over the table and grab his textbook from him. She silently skimmed over the page in question before give a final little nod. She plunked the book onto the table and soon disappeared into the bookshelves.

A few minutes had passed and Harry still hadn't moved a muscle. He was so curious as to what Jane was up to but he just couldn't bring himself to budge. Suddenly she was back, bringing with her a very old and beat up looking book. Jane slid into her seat and placed the book carefully on the table in front of Harry. He stared at the title of the book.

_A History of Medieval Crime Fighting_

He instantly opened the front cover and flipped to the very back. There in the index was what he was looking for: the ingredient list for the Truth Potion.

"I don't believe this!" Harry looked from the book to Jane in awe. "I've been looking everywhere for this. I couldn't find it anywhere and Snape was being such a prat. He wouldn't let us search the restricted sections for our essays. I never would have thought to look in here. You're amazing, Jane!"

Jane shrugged her shoulders a bit. Harry thought she was being overly modest but he could see a bit of pink creeping into her cheeks.

So the two of them sat there together, Harry working on his essay and Jane reading her books. Every minute or so, Jane would furtively look at Harry over the top of her book. Harry didn't seem to notice the way she studied him. He was too involved in finishing his essay. At one point, Jane even opened her mouth as if she was going to say something. But she hesitated, and promptly shut her mouth again. Jane's eyes returned to her book, and stayed there for a good long while.

Harry could tell it was getting late. Lots of students were beginning to leave, indicating that it was time for supper. He was feeling quite hungry himself, though a part of him didn't want to go. He really enjoyed sitting with Jane in the peacefulness of the library. It was very comfortable and he liked her company. The fact that she didn't talk made her very different from Ron and Hermione. Still, it made Harry wonder what kind of person Jane was. What would she be like if she were to talk?

With a quick glance at his watch, Harry started putting away his things into his bag. "Sorry, Jane," Harry sighed. "I think we should get going. We don't want to miss supper. I wouldn't want you to eat cold hospital food."

Jane stood and walked side by side with Harry as they started to leave the library. "So, Jane, I didn't realize you were into such challenging subjects," Harry teased. "And here we were bringing you easy books to read. Hermione will be so pleased to hear that you enjoy scholarly type books. You'll have a mountain of them by your bedside the next time she visits you."

Harry was stunned beyond belief when a hand landed on his shoulder and pushed him playfully to the side. He stumbled and turned his head to look straight at Jane. She was wearing a very innocent expression on her face. She refused to look at Harry.

"Well, well!" Harry didn't bother containing his surprise. "Looks like someone here is a mischief maker. I knew there was a real person in there somewhere." Jane never missed a step. "Oh, you're good, Jane. You're brilliant. But you can't fool me. I know you pushed me. So come on! Try it again! See if you can take me on! How about a duel, huh? Come on, we'll go back to the infirmary and find your wand. Then we can hex each other to death. Come on, it'll be so fun!"

Jane tried desperately to keep a straight face but it wasn't working too well. Harry could see the corner of mouth twitch, despite her valiant effort. She tried to walk faster but that only made Harry try harder.

"So what are you, afraid?" Harry tried to run around her as they walked. "I bet that's it! You're a chicken! You're just a little 'fraidy cat. I am so disappointed! I'm telling you, I was really looking forward to getting pounded. It would have been a blast, no pun intended…"

"What on earth are you doing, Potter?"

Harry instantly skidded to a halt. 'Oh, no. Not him! Not now!' he thought as he tried to keep his cool. He turned around and was nearly face to face with the one person who always had to be the party pooper: Draco Malfoy.

"What's your problem this time, Malfoy?" Harry glared at him.

"You, as always," Malfoy snapped back.

"Well, then, I suggest you run and hide before your problem starts to get pissed off!" Harry tried to move so that he was standing between Jane and Malfoy. He had hoped to keep her hidden but unfortunately it wasn't working.

"Who's that you got there?" Malfoy peered around Harry so he could get a better view. He frowned as he looked at her face. "Who are you? I don't remember seeing you around here. Tell me your name."

"She's nobody!" Harry exclaimed.

Malfoy quickly glanced at Harry and saw how panicked he looked. Then Malfoy returned to the girl. After a moment's thought, a slow, devious smile began to creep over his face. Harry wanted to groan out loud. Malfoy had figured it out.

"So…" Malfoy looked very much like a wolf eyeing a sheep. "This is the crazy girl from St. Mungo's. No one said anything about her being so good-looking. And here she had poor pathetic Potter as a bodyguard. How about it, love? Want to come with me for protection?"

Harry instantly stepped backwards in order to shield Jane from Malfoy. He was surprised to find that she was now beside him instead of behind him. Jane was gazing at Malfoy, complete with her poker face. Harry had no idea what she was doing. That is until she took a few steps forward and was right in Malfoy's face.

Harry was a split second away from leaping forward and grabbing Jane away from Malfoy's reach. But then Jane turned her head and looked at him. Her face was still blank though something deep in her eyes said 'trust me'. So Harry relaxed slightly but still remained ready.

Jane turned back to look at Malfoy. He was kind of confused. He had no idea what this girl was doing. She was just staring at him with her colorful green eyes. It was like she was examining him. Her eyes wandered all over his cold, pale face. She noted any mark or freckle that marred it. Then her eyes traveled down to his shoulders and then his torso.

Finally her eyes rested on his 'area'. Malfoy's face started to burn red with embarrassment, especially when Jane tilted her head to one side and squinted her eyes like she was looking at something really, really tiny.

"What are you playing at!" Malfoy's embarrassment quickly turned into anger. Jane, however, didn't seem to notice. She calmly raised her eyes to look Malfoy in the face again. She gave him this look that was totally indescribable, then turned around and walked away. As she passed Harry, she reached out, took his arm, and guided him away with her.

They left Malfoy standing alone in the hallway…feeling very small and insignificant.

Harry was in a dazed wonder. "I cannot believe you just did that!"

-----

**A/N:** You know what to do…review! It was also brought to my attention that the word 'pants' actually means something different in the UK. In North America it means something entirely different. I knew that too, I should have known better! So I changed 'pants' and made it trousers to avoid any future embarrassment.

**Next Chapter:** Harry gives Jane an ultimatum. Jane does something that completely shocks Harry.


	6. What's In a Name?

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews!

**Chapter 6 – What's In a Name?**

About one week had passed since the 'library' incident. Luckily for Harry and Jane, Malfoy chose not to talk about what had happened…probably because he would have had to explain why he was so pissed off and embarrassed. Nonetheless, the incident wasn't without its consequences.

Once Jane and Harry had reached the hospital wing, it was like the past two weeks had never happened. Jane had reverted back to her old, reclusive self. She didn't go hiding underneath her sheets again, but she refused to make eye contact with Harry. All she did was read or stare out the window by her bed.

Harry tried everything he could think of to make her look at him. He read to her, spoke to her, told her clean jokes (not dirty jokes, thank you very much!), anything to get her attention again. Harry couldn't understand what had happened. Obviously it had something to do with the library incident but he couldn't figure out what it was. Apparently, Hermione and Ron were having similar problems, since she wouldn't acknowledge them either.

Whatever progress they had made with Jane was lost. She had retreated back into the recesses of her mind and she would not come out. It was like she was an empty shell. Soon Harry began to worry if there was anything left in her to save. For all he knew, she could be permanently out of their reach.

But Harry wasn't about to give up on Jane. No sir, not when he had been so close to seeing her talk again. He had spent three weeks watching her suffer with no one there to help her. That suffering had to come to an end.

So on a cold Saturday afternoon, Harry made his decision.

He arrived at the hospital wing and was hardly surprised to see Jane sitting on the edge of her bed, looking out the window. She was as still as a statue. He approached her until he was nearly in her line of sight.

"Look, Jane," Harry started softly, but with determination. "You can't keep doing this. It's not good for you. Why don't you let someone help you? What have you got to lose?

"I know that things must be tough for you right now. But you'd be amazed at what we can do for you. If you're in trouble, there are so many ways we can protect you. If someone's after you, there's no safer place to be than Hogwarts. You have so many people surrounding you who are willing to help. All you have to do is ask.

"We want to help you, but we can't until you let us. Please don't push us away! Nothing will get better and nothing can be fixed until we know what's going on. If you refuse our help, you'll stay exactly how you are. What kind of life is this, Jane? Hiding out in hospital wing? Pretending that you don't hear us? You're nearly a vegetable, Jane. I know you don't want to be. You have too much spirit. I've seen it myself.

"So the way I see it, you have two choices, Jane. You can stay in this hospital wing, hiding from whatever it is you're hiding from, or you can face that fear of yours and ask for help. The choice is yours, Jane, but I hope you choose us. We'll always be here for you, but you don't want to wait until something goes wrong. Not saying that something will go wrong but you know, some people just don't have good luck.

"And until you make your decision, I don't know if I'll be coming around as much. I know it may seem a little selfish to you, but hey, why should I try to help someone who doesn't want to be helped? So I guess I'll see you around. Let Madam Pomfrey know if you change your mind.

"Bye, Jane. I hope you'll be alright."

Harry turned around and started heading for the door. During his little speech, Jane hadn't moved a muscle. Nothing he said could make her move. But now it was different, now he was walking away. He was walking towards that door and he might not be coming back.

In that split second, Jane had to make her choice. She knew that everything could depend on it. For the first time in weeks, her body shuddered with emotion. She knew what she had to do.

"Alex."

Harry froze with his hand halfway to the doorknob. Was he hearing things? He turned around to see Jane twisted around on her bed, her eyes downcast.

"What did you say?" Harry couldn't quite believe it.

"My name is Alex," she spoke in a clear, rich voice. "It's not Jane. Obviously. It was a nice temporary name, though. Thank you for giving it to me."

Harry couldn't make his way to her bedside fast enough. He fell to his knees and propped himself up with arms on the edge of the bed. He was beyond excited.

"Oh, my God," Harry started rambling. "Jane! Uh…I mean, Alex. This is incredible. You're talking. I knew you could. Why haven't you said anything before? Who are you? Where do you come from…?"

"Whoa. WHOA!" Alex held up both hands to stop Harry from continuing. "I am so getting a major headache here. This is why I didn't open up my mouth before. I didn't want to be bombarded with questions like this! And, yeah, Potter, I'm talking now. See my lips moving and that strange sound out of my mouth? That's called English. It comes in handy sometimes."

"I'm sorry," Harry said. "I'm not usually this talkative. Believe me, you can ask Ron and Hermione. It's just that you surprised me."

"Yeah, suddenly breaking out into speech after three weeks will do that to people. Just be thankful I didn't break out into song."

"So your name is Alex?"

"Yeah, that would be me," Alex shook her head slightly. "Oh, well, this is probably all for the best. I mean, how long can a person go without talking to other people?"

"I don't know," Harry said. "But I sure am glad you're talking now."

"But now that I think about it," Alex continued her train of thought, ignoring Harry's comment. "Hermits go without talking to people for really long periods of time. They manage to survive. But then again, people generally think that hermits are a bit crazy anyway. Maybe that has something to do with their not talking and lack of human contact. So maybe it was a good thing that I started talking again. I wouldn't want to turn into some crazy hermit…"

"Uh…Alex?"

"Yeah, Potter?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Harry looked her carefully for any other signs of insanity. "And why do you keep calling me Potter?"

"That's your name, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, but it's my last name," Harry explained. "I thought you would have picked that up? My first name is Harry."

"Yeah, I know," Alex shrugged nonchalantly. "I prefer Potter. That's what I want to call you. Is that okay?"

"Oh, absolutely okay!" Harry would've let her call him anything as far as he was concerned. "So…wow…there are just so many questions I have to ask you."

"Headache, Potter," Alex reminded him by tapping her head.

"I know, I know," Harry was close to begging. "I promise I won't ask too many. And you don't have to answer any questions that you don't want to."

"Good. Because there are some answers I'm not ready to give," Alex crossed her arms over her chest. She tried to glare at Harry, but he was looking too sweet and innocent. "Alright, alright. You can ask some questions, but I won't guarantee any answers."

"Thank you Alex!" Harry looked like he just won the lottery. "Okay…uh, first of all, what's your name?"

"I thought we established the fact that my name is Alex! Rewind our conversation a bit and you'll find it there."

"No, I mean I know your first name is Alex but what is your last name?"

"Reid," Alex said after a short pause. "My full name is Alex Reid."

"Do you have a middle name?"

"You're pushing it with this name thing, Potter."

"Okay, no more name questions," Harry could tell Alex was getting defensive. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out. "So where do you come from?"

"All around," Alex said. "My family moved around a lot. We never really stayed in one place too often."

"Fair enough. So do you normally live with you parents?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"What do they do?"

"Official business. You know, Ministry stuff and the like."

"I see," Harry didn't know if he was imagining it or not, but it seemed to him that Alex was being way too vague with her answers. Official business? There was a lot of business that could be considered official. And from what he saw of the Ministry two years ago, it was a huge place. It probably employed hundreds of people. Not to mention that there was more than one Ministry of Magic. For all Harry knew, Alex's parents could be working in the German or French Ministry. That would fit with all the moving around. But something just didn't feel right.

It was time to get to the serious questions. "So what are you doing here with us?"

"Potter, you know I can't answer that!" Alex shoved her face into her pillow.

"I know it's hard for you," Harry said. "But why can't you tell me?"

"Because it's complicated!" Alex felt like screaming in frustration.

"Life does get complicated sometimes," Harry had to agree with her there.

"I just can't tell you, okay," Alex said. "Everybody has secrets they don't share. Maybe I'll be able to tell you someday but not right now. It's just too soon."

"Too soon after what happened to you," Harry earned himself another glare from Alex. "Look, I can't pretend to ignore what happened. I pulled you out of the lake, for Pete's sake! I saw the condition you were in. You were pretty bad and I've seen bad before. But I do understand that it may be early for you to discuss it. I just hope that someday, you'll find a way to tell your story. It's not healthy to keep things bottled up inside."

"Really?" Alex asked in a shocked tone. "I'll make a mental note of that. It could come in handy someday."

"You are a completely different person when you speak, you know," Harry chuckled at her antics. This Alex certainly was a character.

"So…" Alex sobered up a bit as she bit her lip. "I guess we really need a plan now."

"A plan?"

"Yeah, like what are we going to do, now that I'm going with the talking bit again?"

Harry thought about it for a moment. Everything had happened so quickly, he hadn't had any time to think of a plan. "Well, I'm not quite sure. You caught me by surprise, today."

"How about you take me to your leader and we'll go from there?" Harry just looked at her blankly. "Oh come on! '_Take me to your leader_'? You seriously don't know that! Oh, you are so deprived Potter."

"I wasn't exposed to a lot of pop culture when I was younger," Harry shrugged. "But I think your suggestion is a good idea. Dumbledore will know exactly what to do. Maybe he'll even get you out of the hospital wing. You could get a more private room for your stay here at Hogwarts."

"Really!" Alex perked right up and nearly fell out of her bed. "Oh my God, Potter, thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how awful it is to be in here for nearly three weeks. It's a bloody hospital, for crying out loud! It is so boring in here, it's disgusting!"

"Really?" Harry faked a surprised look. "It's that bad? I supposed I never noticed that during my many stays here. You sure you're up to the challenge of living beyond these walls?"

"Of course!" Alex exclaimed. "Are you mad or something?"

"Seriously," Harry said. "Are you really read for this? Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Hell yes," Alex looked like she was getting very impatient. "I want out of here, Potter. So enough talking and make with the planning already. We have a lot to do."

"I agree," Harry nodded in return. "Wait right here while I go talk to Madam Pomfrey. It may take a while. She's a tough negotiator and it'll take a lot of convincing for her to let you leave. But don't worry, I'll tell her we're going to see Dumbledore. She'll have no problem with that."

Or maybe not. Madam Pomfrey insisted that Alex stay in the hospital wing. In her opinion, Alex was still very sick. In fact, Pomfrey didn't believe Harry at first when he told her that the girl's real name was Alex and that she was finally talking. Pomfrey had to hear it for herself ("Thanks Ms Nurse for looking after me but I want the Hell out of this place. No offence.")

Some final tests had to be done, but in the end Pomfrey grudgingly concluded that Alex was perfectly healthy. Her wounds were completely healed and there were no signs of permanent damage. So Pomfrey eventually gave in and agreed to release Alex from the hospital wing, but not without many warnings and threats.

"Now don't you go doing anything dangerous, Potter."

"You go straight to Dumbledore, understand?"

"If I hear later on that you didn't arrive at his office on time, I'll…" And so on, and so forth.

Alex and Harry returned to her bed, where Alex pulled out the box from beneath her bed. She instantly grabbed something that was bundled up in a raggedy cloth. She kept it hidden in her hand while she stuffed it into a pocket in her cloak. The only other item left in the box was a wand. Alex's hand went to grab it, but she hesitated instead. Harry was surprised when she held the box out to him.

"Here," Alex said. "You take it for me. It'd be better if we went to see Dumbledore and I was unarmed."

"Is this your wand?" Harry carefully took it out of the box.

"It sure is."

"But don't you want to carry it?" Harry looked puzzled.

"No," Alex said simply. "I don't. Think about it, Potter. How would your Headmaster feel if some strange girl showed up in his office, armed with a wand? You people don't know me and so you have no reason to trust me. Why should I be allowed to carry a wand?"

"Because I trust you," Harry held out the wand for her to take. It was such a simple gesture but it had enormous meaning. Alex stared at Harry for a second, then shook her head and smiled.

"No, Potter, you keep it. Believe me, you should not be giving me my wand now."

Harry blinked. He didn't understand. What did Alex mean by that? "Alright," Harry slowly put her wand into his robe pocket. "I'll hold onto it for now. So is there anything else you need?"

"Just this," Alex grabbed her broom and tossed away the empty box.

"Now I'm all set. Let's go knock the socks off your Headmaster."

-----

**A/N**: And so she speaks! Please review!

**Next Chapter**: Harry and Alex hit Dumbledore's office…what will be decided…will Alex be staying at Hogwarts?


	7. The Sorting Hat

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. Things are going to be very interesting now that Alex is talking. Hope you all enjoy!

**Chapter 7 - The Sorting Hat**

Harry and Alex approached the solid wood door that led to Dumbledore's office. They were quite lucky that Harry hadn't forgotten Dumbledore's most recent password. Alex was pleasantly surprised by the nifty spiralling staircase that had appeared. ("Wicked cool!")

Harry looked to Alex to see if she was ready. "You still sure about this?"

"For the millionth time, YES!" Alex got so impatient that she herself knocked firmly on the door. The two of them could hear Dumbledore's muted reply of 'Come in'.

They entered the office and were surprised to see Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, as well as Professor Dumbledore. The three of them were all sitting in comfy chairs, looking like they had been in a serious discussion. Their heads all turned to greet the newcomers. To say that they were also surprised would be an understatement.

McGonagall let out a soft gasp. Her hand went to her mouth as she saw who was standing beside Harry. Snape's eyes narrowed as he saw who it was, with complete and utter suspicion written all over his face. Dumbledore, of course, was the least expressive of them all. But Harry could see that his white eyebrows rose slightly, indicating that even he was slightly taken aback.

"Er…sorry to interrupt," Harry glanced at Alex to see how she was holding up against all the scrutiny and attention. He was amazed to see her standing there with her head held high, and no sign of being shy or afraid. "I thought you might want to meet someone, Professor Dumbledore. Look who's up and about."

"Indeed," Dumbledore focused on Alex. "And how are doing these days, my dear?"

"Oh, quite fine, thanks," Alex said clearly. "Not too bad, considering I've spent the better part of three weeks in the hospital wing with nothing to do but read or stare out the window. Which, by the way, I'm really sorry that I broke. I didn't mean to, it just sort of happened when I woke up and saw everyone. I suppose I over reacted a little bit."

"You broke the window?" Snape looked like he couldn't believe it.

"Yes, that's what I just said," Alex forced herself not to roll her eyes.

"Then that was one remarkable piece of wandless magic, I must say," McGonagall didn't know whether she should be impressed or worried.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it," Alex shrugged her shoulders. "I can't really do that much. Especially without my wand."

"Might I enquire about your wand?" Dumbledore asked. "Did you not have one before? Where is it now?"

"I gave it to Potter," Alex inclined her head towards Harry direction. "I told him it'd be better for him to hang on to it for now. No one here knows who I am. I didn't want anyone to think I'd try something again."

Nobody appeared to have an answer for that one. Snape closed his open mouth. He seemed to be shocked that Alex would think of something like that. Taking her wand away would have been the first suggestion out of his mouth. In fact, he didn't want her to keep it in the first place.

"I think it's time for a little talk," Dumbledore conjured up two more chairs for Alex and Harry. He waited patiently until they were settled. Then he focused again on Alex, looking at her with thoughtful, but curious eyes.

"Now, then, where shall we begin? Perhaps it would be best to start with the basics. Since you are now talking, my dear, I'm assuming you would be willing to tell us your name."

"Uh, yeah," Alex suddenly glanced down to her hands in her lap. "It's Alex. Alex Reid."

"Very well, Miss Reid," Dumbledore said. "Would you be willing to tell us what happened to you on the day that you arrived here at Hogwarts?"

"Actually…" Alex hesitated. "I told Potter that I wasn't ready to talk about it." And let the run around begin. Harry had already heard this speech, and Snape just rolled his eyes. Dumbledore and McGonagall, however, were more patient than that. They waited to see if Alex would say anything else.

"Is there anything that you can tell us?" Snape almost sneered.

"Well," Alex searched in her mind for a place to start. "Now that I think about it, I suppose you all deserve some sort of explanation. Or at least a partial explanation for now." That certainly gained the attention of everyone in the office.

"I was involved in some sort of conflict. You could probably tell from the nasty state I was in when I first arrived. I can't…I can't tell you what it was about. I can tell you that I arrived here on this broom. Although I can't say where exactly I flew from, I can also tell you that I need a place to stay for a while. There were…bad people involved in this thing. I can't let them know where I am. If they knew, then…"

Alex's thought died off, leaving the others to fill in the blanks.

"There are still many unanswered questions," Dumbledore said carefully.

"I agree," Snape instantly replied. "This girl has told us nothing that we could not already have deduced ourselves. Her presence here at Hogwarts could be potentially dangerous. Who knows what she had done to warrant such an escape, if her story has any truth to it at all."

"Excuse me," Alex put on a fake sweet smile. "But 'this girl' is sitting right here. I realize that I'm imposing on you all just by being here. Believe me, if things could be different, I wouldn't be here right now in this mess. I could always leave if you wanted me to. I'd be alright by myself."

"Of course not," McGonagall looked positively appalled at the idea. Harry could have sworn that she also threw Snape a quickly icy glare before turning back to Alex. "Miss Reid, I don't think you should be going anywhere. At least not until we figure out what we shall do about the situation. There is no need to be hasty."

"I agree," Dumbledore said. "So now we need to decide where our guest will be staying."

"You mean Alex gets to stay!" Harry couldn't believe his ears. Alex would be staying at Hogwarts!

"I don't see why not. It's obvious that Miss Reid is in danger. Hogwarts will be the best place for her, if she agrees."

"But…" Alex couldn't seem to find the right words. "So I can stay? I don't have to leave yet?"

"It's entirely up to you, my dear."

For one fleeting moment, Alex looked like she was going to accept Dumbledore's offer. She opened her mouth to speak but then she suddenly paused. Snape took advantage of her hesitation. "Professor Dumbledore," Snape said slowly. "May we have a few words before anything is decided?"

Dumbledore glanced at Snape before looking over to McGonagall, who nodded her head very slightly. "Very well," Dumbledore turned his attention to the two teenagers. "Would you mind if the professors and I had a moment to chat by ourselves? I promise you that we won't take too long."

"No problem," Harry stood and followed Alex out of the office. Now that they were gone, Snape let his feelings loose.

"How in Merlin's name can we allow that girl to stay here in Hogwarts?" Snape fumed. "I am positively certain that she herself is dangerous. Assuming that her story is indeed true, then someone out there is looking for this girl. That person would have been responsible for putting her in our hospital wing nearly half dead. What if that person discovers that she is here? What will happen then?"

"Severus," Dumbledore said calmly. "Keep in mind that Hogwarts is never far from danger, especially now that Voldemort has returned."

"But what if he is the one who is looking for her?" Snape exclaimed.

"Honestly, Severus," McGonagall reproached. "You really think that this poor girl is running from You-Know-Who? What could she have done to deserve his attention?"

"I don't know Minerva, but something about this doesn't seem right to me," Snape calmed himself down slightly. There was no point wasting his valuable energy over something so out of his hands.

"I know this has all come about quite quickly," Dumbledore said. "But now that the pieces are in motion I think we should try to make the best of this situation. Therefore, I suggest that Miss Reid be sorted into a house and encouraged to attend classes with the rest of the students. This is, of course, a bold move but I feel that it is a necessary one."

Neither Snape nor McGonagall could speak for a moment. "So…" McGonagall finally managed to talk. "She would be living amongst the students, interacting with them, and such. That is a very bold move, I must say."

"I agree," Snape said.

"Think of it this way," Dumbledore smiled. "There will be more people around her to monitor her situation. If she is sorted into Gryffindor, then we ask Harry and his friends to look out for her and make sure that she is safe."

"Recruit Potter and his friends as spies?" Snape eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"No, not necessarily spies," Dumbledore's smile slowly faded into a frown. "Miss Reid needs someone to look after her."

"Albus?" McGonagall asked in a worried tone. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine Minerva. I only worry about Miss Reid herself. Something terrible is going on in her head. I cannot tell what it is and I find that a bit unusual. Then, of course, I noticed the way she refused to look me in the eye…

"But let's not concentrate on such things right now. Miss Reid has found her way to Hogwarts and I feel she should stay here under our protection."

"If that is to be our plan," Snape reluctantly agreed.

"Then let us proceed."

McGonagall went to retrieve Harry and Alex, who were still waiting patiently outside Dumbledore's office. Once everyone was seated again, Dumbledore started explaining. "After much discussion, we have agreed that our new guest here will have the opportunity to stay at Hogwarts. If you agree, Miss Reid, you will also have the chance to be sorted and join one of our four houses. I know this is a big decision to make, but I do hope that you choose to stay with us."

"Alright then," Alex gave a small nod. "I'll stay. So how do I get sorted?"

"That will be a job for our sorting hat," McGonagall said. She promptly got up and took the ratty old hat down from a high shelf. "It's quite simple Miss Reid. You put the hat on your head and it will place you into Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, or Slytherin. Each is a reputable house with its own unique qualities. You will be sorted into the house that suits you best."

Alex carefully took the hat from McGonagall and gave it a quick once over. When she finally seemed ready, she glanced at Harry before finally donning the hat.

"Good luck," Harry whispered.

Since Alex was much bigger than the average first year student, her head was not completely engulfed by the old hat. Only the floppy brim of hat prevented her from seeing her surroundings. As soon as the hat touched her head, she could feel the presence of another voice in her mind.

"Oh my!" the voice exclaimed. "Oh my indeed! I absolutely cannot believe this. I cannot believe what I'm seeing in here. This is amazing really; I've never seen anything like this before. Incredible! Never in all my years have I come across something like you. This is a real surprise, I must say. I am completely dumbfounded, to say the least. This is something I did not expect and…"

"Alright! Enough!" Alex thought back to the voice. "Look, I'm not here for a nice, long conversation. This is where I'm supposed to get sorted so let's get on with it. We don't have all day."

"But surely you have some time to stay and chat."

"Ah, but why do we need to chat when you can already see everything you want to know!"

"Oh, very good! Very good! I knew you were a smart one. Yes, it's true that I can see into your mind but sometimes I still like to ask questions. It's so much more interesting that way. I only get to do my job once a year, you know. Composing next year's song only takes me so long anyway."

"I suppose so." Alex mentally shrugged. "But seriously, how does this whole thing work? I really need to get moving here."

"My, my, aren't we in a hurry! What's wrong my dear? Afraid that I'll expose your secret? I see that you haven't told them everything."

"Listen, hat!" Alex grabbed the edges of her chair in a death grip. "I'll eat you myself if you dare say a word about me! You can see for yourself that I'm dead serious about this. I swear I would do it!"

"Ah! I see I've hit a nerve!" the voice mused. "But there's no need to worry. I would never tell a soul."

"So that means you could tell a vampire?" Alex quipped. "Or maybe even this Professor Snape? You know they don't have souls. I'm not safe with them."

"Oh, another good one! Though seriously, you don't have to be concerned. I've been doing this job for longer than you can imagine. I also have a confidentiality charm as well. Those four old founders really knew what they were doing when they made me."

"So you really can't tell anyone…"

"You have to understand," the voice explained. "I see into dozens of minds every year and you would not believe some of the things I have seen. Think about what would happen if I didn't keep those things to myself. I could change the course of the future, and that's not what I was made to do."

"So…you've seen everything?"

"Everything."

"From everyone?"

"Every single witch … and wizard … who has passed through this school."

Alex knew what the voice was implying. "So what happens when you see the worst?" she asked.

"I see many possibilities for their future. It's funny, though. I get to see into their minds when they are still very young. Some of them don't suspect a thing, while others are already completely aware of the darkness that lives within them. Now those are the interesting people to sort."

"I'm sure they are," Alex smirked. "So I want to ask you one more time just to be sure. Are you certain that you won't be telling anyone about what you've seen in my mind?"

"You have my word, Miss Reid. Your secret is safe with me."

"Good. Now that we have that taken care of, let's get down to business."

"Not one to be easily distracted, eh? Well then, if you truly insist I suppose we'll have to carry on. So let's see, where do you belong…ah, I can see right now that Hufflepuff is not for you. You do have some of the Hufflepuff qualities but you have a spirit that belongs elsewhere."

"What is this, a joke?" Alex wasn't impressed. "Of course I don't belong in Hufflepuff! You're just stalling now."

"Quite possibly," the voice replied gleefully. "I'm only having a little bit of fun. Of course, it's quite obvious where you should really go."

"Well, you'll have to tell me your thoughts because I'm not the mind reader here, remember?"

"I think you'd do well in Slytherin."

"Oh, of course!"

"Oh, but I'm serious. In all honesty, Slytherin is where you should be."

Alex nearly laughed out loud. "Just like daddy dearest," she smirked. "Sorry old guy, but I have my own agenda right now, as you can see."

"But that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun!"

"Not right now."

"But couldn't you just allow me to…"

"Would you leave it be!" Alex exclaimed. "This is getting really pathetic. You're this far away from begging, and that's just sad."

"Well can you blame me?"

"You are so stubborn! Do I have to threaten to eat you again?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I'm sure we can come to an agreement of some sorts."

"Ah, but I'm not really feeling like negotiating right now. So here's how we're doing things. Instead of putting me where I could or should be, I want you to put me where I need to be."

"So now you're making the decisions?"

"Well someone has to, since obviously you aren't making any. So let's do this. Put me where I need to be."

"Well, if you're sure – better be…"

-----

**A/N:** I'm not telling you yet! You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out.

**Next Chapter: **What happens when Ron, Hermione and Ginny meet a walking, talking Alex?


	8. Introducing Alex Reid

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. This one was a bit of a cliff-hanger, wasn't it? Hope you enjoy the rest!

**Chapter 8 – Introducing Alex Reid**

Harry, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape all were waiting patiently for the sorting hat to make up its mind. It seemed to be taking forever! The sorting hat usually didn't take this long to sort a person. Maybe it had finally met its match and found a person it couldn't sort. It was very mysterious, whatever was going on. Harry even swore he saw Alex smile and frown while she was wearing the hat.

What was it saying to her?

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat's sudden shout caught everyone by surprise. Alex instantly ripped the hat off her head in frustration.

"Of course I'm sure you cheeky, little bas--," Alex started mumbling to herself before she realized she was mumbling out loud. She quickly gave them a false smile. "So…I'm sorry that took so long. You have quite a talkative sorting hat here. I could barely get him to shut up."

"You talked with the sorting hat?" Harry looked surprised. While he had inadvertently told the sorting hat about his desire to not be in Slytherin, Harry wouldn't have called it a conversation. He hadn't heard of anyone actually talking with the hat.

"Well, it was just a few words," Alex shrugged. "So I assume I'll be joining Gryffindor. That's your house, isn't it Potter?" Harry could only manage a small nod.

"Wonderful, wonderful," Dumbledore smiled happily. "Now then, Miss Reid, I was hoping that you might tell us your age so that we can put you in an appropriate year."

"I'm seventeen years old," Alex replied.

"Splendid! We could place you in the seventh year, which is our oldest and most advanced class. Do you think you could handle that level?"

"I think I can manage," Alex tried to sound very casual.

"Then it's all settled," Dumbledore clasped his hands together. "Harry, if you could please escort Miss Reid to Gryffindor tower, that would be lovely. It won't take long to figure out where to put you, Miss Reid. Miss Granger has her own private bedroom since she is Head Girl. I have a feeling she would rather you stay with her than with a room full of strangers."

"Thank you…for everything," Alex said as she and Harry stood to leave. "This means so much to me."

"We are glad to have you, Miss Reid," McGonagall replied matter-of-factly. "I hope you will be a strong addition to Gryffindor."

"I will be."

With her broom in hand, Alex followed Harry towards the door. As she passed Professor Snape, the two of them caught each others' eyes. In that split second of eye contact, time seemed to slow to a stand still. Snape could only stare into those seemingly young eyes. He knew he could see and sense something about this girl…something that seemed oddly and disturbingly familiar.

But before he could pinpoint exactly what it was, the moment was over. Alex coolly turned her head away from him and proceeded out the door.

"I'm still not sure about this," Snape warned his fellow professors.

"I understand Severus," once more Dumbledore became very sober. "But for now I fear there is nothing we can do."

-----

"So what happens now?" Alex asked as she and Harry strolled through the halls of Hogwarts.

"Well I reckon we should go to Gryffindor tower like Dumbledore said," Harry reasoned. "We've already missed supper. Ron and Hermione will be wondering where I am."

"Do they do that often?"

"Sometimes," Harry admitted. "They worry about me from time to time. It's not an ordinary week if they don't stop to consider what's bothering poor Harry."

"Sounds like they really care about you," Alex said softly.

"Yeah, they do," Harry's tone was particularly strange, like there was much more hidden behind his simple answer. Alex decided to play it smart and not question him about it.

"So…" Alex tried to think of something else to say as they soon came to a stop in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. "I guess we're here."

"You guess correctly," for a moment, the two students just stood there in the hallway being eyed by the Fat Lady ("Are you coming in or not!") "Oh!" Harry suddenly thought of something as he started digging through his robes' pockets. "I almost forgot. Here's your wand."

"Gee, thanks Potter," Alex accepted her wand from him this time. "I was wondering when you were going to hand it over. Planning on keeping it for a while?"

"Hey, you were the one who insisted I hold onto it," Harry wanted to take the wand back and whack Alex over her head with it. By now, the two of them were face-to-face arguing with each other. "So don't go accusing me of withholding your things from you!"

"Fine, then, I won't!" Alex abruptly turned to face the Fat Lady again. "So shall we go in now?"

"Sure, why not," and just like that it was over, like nothing had ever happened.

Harry gave the password to the Fat Lady before the door to the common room swung open. "I wonder where Ron and Hermione are."

Harry's question was instantly answered as soon as they walked through the hole. They found Ron and Hermione, as well as Ginny, sitting around the fireplace. Ron and Hermione were both hunched over, deep in what looked like a very serious conversation. Ginny was also listening in, but she wasn't joined in their little huddle. Since she wasn't so immersed in their talk, Ginny turned her attention to the new comers in the common room.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed in surprise, causing Ron and Hermione to whip their heads towards the doorway.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione cried. "We were…" The rest of Hermione's sentence died off as she noticed that Harry was very much not alone.

"Harry…" Ron couldn't help but stare at Alex. "You STOLE Jane from the hospital wing! Is that what you were up to all this time?"

"No!" Hermione gasped. "What's Madam Pomfrey going to say about this? She'll have a fit once she finds out. We have get Jane back to the hospital wing immediately."

"Relax guys, everything's alright," Harry tried his best to calm them down.

Ginny, who had never met Alex before, wasn't nearly as concerned as the others. She was way more curious than anything else. She had heard all the stories from the boys and Hermione and had wondered what the new girl would be like. Now Ginny found herself staring right at her. The funniest thing was that the girl was staring right back at Ginny, with a very surprised look on her face.

"Hello," Ginny greeted her instinctively.

"Hello," Alex nearly whispered in return. Ron and Hermione were instantly on their feet.

"Oh my God."

"Bloody hell!" Ron cried in a squeaky voice. "She can talk! Jane can talk!"

"Er…yeah," Alex winced and glanced nervously around the common room. "About this whole Jane business. My name's Alex. Alex Reid."

"I'm Ginny Weasley," Ginny, still not realizing the magnitude of the situation, extended her hand for Alex to shake. Alex seemed like she was frozen for a moment, until she finally reached out and cautiously shook Ginny's hand. "Ron here's my brother. You'll have to excuse him. His social skills are a bit off."

"Hey, I resent that!"

"I can't believe this," Hermione looked like she had been stunned. "When did this all happen? Is this why you missed supper, Harry? What's going on here?"

"Er…Hermione?" Harry couldn't help but notice how uneasy Alex was. They really needed to get out of the common room. "Maybe we can answer questions later, say in a more private area?"

"Right," Ron appeared to have an idea. "Let's go to my room."

"Your room," Hermione raised her eyebrows. "And why would we want to go to your room of all places?"

"'Cause it's just upstairs," Ron said like it was so completely obvious. "And because it's really private, seeing as how I'm Head Boy and I'm the only one living there. I know your room would probably be cleaner, but how would you expect me and Harry to get up the girl's stairs?"

"Oh," so maybe Ron wasn't being such an idiot after all. "I'm surprised you even considered that."

"Well, thank you so much for your confidence, Hermione. I really appreciate it."

"Alright," Harry stepped in before another rumble broke out. "Let's all just go to Ron's room before we attract too much attention."

"Fine," Hermione spun around and stomped off towards the boy's staircase. "Well, what are waiting for?"

-----

A minute later, after many clothes and other items were shoved to the corners, the five teenagers were sitting comfortably around the Head Boy's room. It looked exactly like the other rooms in Gryffindor Tower, except that there was only one bed instead of several and a cozy, red couch occupied most of the extra space. The three girls had taken over that piece of furniture, while the two boys sat on the edge of Ron's bed.

Ron, meanwhile, was examining Alex's broom like it was some kind of lost treasure. "This broom is amazing!" he couldn't hide the awe in his voice even if he wanted to. "Look at the shape. You don't see this kind of broom around here, that's for sure. And…_Solar Flare_, is that the name of this model?" Ron noticed the intricate engraving on the handle.

"Uh, yeah," Alex shifted nervously on the edge of the couch. "Actually you wouldn't find this broom anywhere else, it's custom made."

"Whoa!"

"So now can we know what's going on?" Hermione was starting to get a bit impatient.

"That depends on how Alex feels," Harry said.

"It's alright Potter," Alex nearly rolled her eyes at how protective Harry was acting. "I can answer questions about what happened this afternoon. Well…at least to a certain point."

"Huh?" Ron looked considerably confused.

"I'm exercising my right to remain silent," Alex explained.

"No," Ron tried to clarify. "Why'd you call him Potter and not Harry?"

"These are your friends, aren't they," Alex asked Harry. "Please tell me they know what your last name is."

"Of course we know his last name!" Hermione bristled.

"It's just that everyone around here calls him Harry," Ron said.

"Except for Snape," Harry grumbled at the thought of his most despised professor.

"And Malfoy," Ginny added. "But they don't count because they're a pair of nasty gits."

"Ginny!" Hermione looked positively horrified.

"Well they are."

"Ah…" Alex nodded in understanding. "Professor Snape, I see. Yeah, he's a real pain in the ass. He was completely against the whole deal we came up with. You should have seen the way he glared at me. He tried to pull off an 'I'm so vicious' look, but it just made him look like a cranky old goblin."

Ginny, Hermione, and Ron all stared at Alex. Ginny looked she had just met her biggest idol, Hermione was a cross between wonder and indignation, and Ron…well, Ron still looked confused.

"Hang on there," Ron said. "You've already met Snape? Snape, as in the grumpiest Head of Slytherin House you would ever meet? How did this all happen?"

"Fine!" Alex threw back her head and let out a huge sigh. "I suppose I'll tell you the story. It all started when Harry came to visit me this afternoon. He basically gave me an ultimatum, saying that if I didn't start talking then he wouldn't come to visit me anymore."

That earned Harry glares from the others in the room.

"Anyway, I called my name out to him as he was leaving. After a big discussion about how I couldn't discuss anything yet, we went to see Dumbledore. Snape and McGonagall were already there. In a nutshell, it was decided that I would stay here at Hogwarts. I put on the Sorting Hat and it put me into Gryffindor. So now I'm here and, surprise, I'm one of you now."

"I can't believe it," Ron said. "You get to stay! So, what, are you going to take classes with us and everything?"

"And everything," Alex nodded. Ron seemed to be very pleased. Hermione, on the other hand, was slightly confused and even a bit suspicious. She couldn't help the way her eyes narrowed as she carefully observed the other girl.

"So what made you start talking, besides Harry's ultimatum?" Hermione asked with caution. "You haven't spoken to anyone in weeks. Why the sudden change of mind?"

"Hermione!" Harry admonished.

"It's all right, Potter, she has every right to ask," Alex evenly returned Hermione's glare without batting an eye. She was well prepared for a battle of wits. "Of course, staying in the hospital wing was about to drive me mad. God only knows how long I'd have to stay around here. I came to the conclusion that talking again was an easy way to get out of there. As for why I stopped talking, well, that's another story. Let's just say I'm just trying to keep myself alive right now."

"Oh!" Hermione blinked in surprise. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to imply…"

"What do you mean!" Ron cried to Alex. "Keeping yourself alive? Who are you running from? You can't just leave it at that!"

"Oh, yeah," Alex arched an eyebrow. "Watch me."

"But…"

"Ron!" Harry hissed. "Let it go."

"But…"

"Oh, come off it!" Ginny threw a cushion at her brother's head…and it connected beautifully. "Leave poor Alex alone. She doesn't need you asking her a million questions right now, so stop being such a prat."

"Can't help being curious," Ron muttered as he tried miserably to throw the cushion back.

"Yeah, well, you know what killed the cat," Alex warned.

"Something killed a cat?" Ginny looked slightly worried.

"'Curiosity killed the cat'," Alex explained patiently. "Muggle expression."

"Oh."

"Anyway," Hermione tried to get the conversation back on track. "So you'll be joining us in our classes? That should be interesting."

"Oh really interesting," Alex sounded anything but pleased.

"Hey," Harry asked, taking a closer look at Alex's troubled face. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong!" Alex barked out a sarcastic laugh. "What's wrong is that I'm expected to go to classes on Monday and I have nothing."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"I mean, what you see is what I have! I have the clothes that I'm wearing and a broomstick and…and…well that's pretty much all I have. How am I supposed to make this work? First of all, I have nothing to write on, and secondly, I have nothing to write with. I won't be able to read the lessons because I don't have any bloody books! How am I supposed to make this work!"

"Alex," Harry said in a soothing voice. "It'll be alright, you'll see. There's no need to panic."

Alex, who did seem to be on the verge of a panic attack, instantly realized this and tried to change her demeanour. "Who's panicking?" she snapped. "I don't know what you're going on about, Potter."

"Harry's right," Ron said casually. "You're at Hogwarts now. It's the best place in the world. You won't have to worry about anything here."

"Absolutely," Hermione agreed. "And you know, Alex, if you are worried about a uniform or clothes, I'm sure I have plenty of extras in my wardrobe. God knows I have too many. You and I look to be the same size too, so that shouldn't be a problem either."

"And you can borrow all my books," Ron added quickly, before Hermione shot him an icy glare. "What? You know I hardly read them anyway. And besides, Harry and I can share. We usually do our work together anyhow."

"And I have an extra quill or two somewhere in my trunk," Ginny offered, not wanting to be left out. "And some ink and parchment. You'll need those."

Alex could only stare at the others in amazement. They had only known her for a few weeks, Ginny only for a few moments, and yet they were still willing to offer anything she needed. They were more than kind. They were saints. "Thank you," Alex breathed. "I feel like I don't deserve this. You're all being so nice."

"Well, what else did you expect?" Ginny looked amused. "Like we'd really let you go without any supplies."

"Hey, Harry," Ron suddenly realized something. "We're all donating something. What are you going to give Alex?"

Apparently, Ron didn't hear his own words the way the others did. Ginny and Hermione chose to glare at him some more, and Harry managed to look politely confused. If Alex caught the unintentional second meaning, she did a fine job of hiding her reaction. "That's okay," Alex shrugged. "He doesn't have to give me anything."

"Maybe he can tutor you if you need help. Harry's the best at Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary."

"But you're new to the school. Maybe we've covered things that…"

"God, Weasley, can't you take a hint," Alex exclaimed while rolling her eyes. "Honestly. Can someone please change the subject here?"

"Oh," Ron looked slightly rejected. "Sorry. Didn't mean to be nosy."

Alex took a deep breath to calm herself down. "No, Weasley, I should say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I know you're all just trying to help. This is me, letting my good humour take control."

"Alright then," Ron said, while clearly questioning Alex's sanity.

"I suppose we'll have to find you a place to stay," Harry suddenly remembered that Alex was currently without a room. If she was going to be a full time student, one of those would definitely be handy.

"What, Dumbledore didn't assign you to the 7th Year girl's dorm?" Hermione couldn't quite understand how he could overlook something so important.

Alex knew that this subject was bound to come up eventually, but she was really hoping to avoid it. Asking to share books, clothes, and parchment was one thing, but asking to share a room was completely different. It was halfway through the school year and everyone was already set in his or her ways. How would Alex fit into these daily routines without turning everything upside down?

"Well, he thought it would be best to leave it undecided for now," Alex said carefully. She could see the wheels turning in everyone's minds, trying to figure out a solution to this latest problem. It didn't take long for Hermione to finally think of something. Alex could see the change in her face as the idea came.

"You know, you could always stay in my room if you'd like," Hermione suggested.

"Really?" Alex glanced at Harry, who gave her a slight 'Dumbledore told you so' smile.

"Yeah, I don't think any of us here would hand you over to the likes of Lavender Brown and Parvarti Patil. That would be like feeding you to the wolves."

"Or lions."

"Or hyenas."

"Or vampires!"

"You people are absolutely insane," Alex smiled at her newfound friends. "I think I'm really going to like it here."

"Well, you'd better like it here because you'll be stuck with us from now on," Harry warned her while trying to keep a straight face. "Consider this your unofficial welcoming party."

"Wonderful," then unnoticed by the others, Alex's smile softly turned into a satisfied smirk.

"I'm in."

-----

**A/N:** Alright, so maybe it wasn't a big surprise that Alex was sorted into Gryffindor, but I did try to make it a bit suspenseful. Please let me know what you think. Review, please!

**Next Chapter:** Alex meets Dobby and Crookshanks...


	9. House Elves and Fur Balls

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry for any delay. Was I the only one having trouble uploading documents? Oh, well, it's fixed now so let the show begin...

**Chapter 9 – House Elves and Fur Balls**

"Alright then," Ron rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Harry and Alex, you guys are probably starving since you missed supper. I think we should all go down to the kitchens and get you two something to eat."

"In other words you want some more of those lemon tarts we had at supper," Hermione teased.

"Hey, they were good!"

"Well, I'm not really that hungry, which is very unusual," Alex said. "But I suppose I should eat something. I swear my stomach will soon go on strike if I don't start feeding it."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Harry's stomach, on the other hand, loudly protested its lack of fullness. "Let's show Alex one of Hogwart's best kept secrets."

-----

The hallways leading towards the kitchen were completely deserted, normal for an early Saturday evening. So Harry, Alex, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione never passed a single soul, be it alive or dead, while on their journey. They made good time to the portrait with the fruit. The five teens came to a simultaneous halt.

"Watch this," Ginny said softly to Alex. Everyone waited patiently while Ron reached out and tickled the pear in the portrait. Suddenly a handle appeared out of thin air.

"Wicked!" Alex blinked in surprised.

"Ladies first," Harry grabbed the handle and held the door open for the girls. They entered through the narrow door one by one. After they were in, Harry gestured to Ron. "Ladies first, Ron."

"Oh, ha, ha," Ron grabbed Harry by his collar and shoved him through the door. As Ron followed the stumbling Harry, he could see that the girls had already attracted a small group of house elves.

"How can we help you, Misses?"

"Can I get you pastries, Miss?"

"Maybe Miss would like some roasted chicken?"

"Harry Potter!"

One elf voice rang out loud and clear above all the others. As Harry and Ron joined the girls they could see the owner of that voice and his big, round, shiny eyes. "Hello Dobby," Harry said. "How are things in the house elf world?"

"Things are wonderful, Sir! Dobby is so glad to see Harry Potter. It's been many days, not since Christmas that I have seen Sir. What brings Harry Potter and friends to the kitchens?"

"Ah…well, Alex and I missed supper and we were hoping to get a little something to eat."

All of a sudden, Dobby seemed to notice the new person standing with the usual gang. Then, if it was even possible, Dobby's eyes got even bigger. "Oh!" he exclaimed in surprise. "It is the Miss from the hospital wing. Miss looks all better now."

"How'd you know I came from the hospital wing?" Alex asked suspiciously.

"Every house elf at Hogwarts knows about the witch from the hospital wing," Dobby explained like it was obvious. "Some clean it at night time or when no one is there. We always tell other house elves what happens in Hogwarts, Miss. We keep informed, Miss. It helps us do our job better."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, indeed it is, Miss," Dobby suddenly became very nervous, wringing his hands behind his back. "Dobby was also wondering, Miss. If it's not too much to ask, Dobby and the others don't know Miss's name. We don't know how to properly address our new guest."

"Well, I suppose anything is better than being called 'Miss' all the time," Alex muttered. "I'm Alex Reid. It's a pleasure to meet you Dobby."

Harry winced, half expecting Dobby to burst into tears over Alex's politeness. But Dobby didn't shed a tear. Instead he had the most curious look on his face. It was like he was very confused and was trying to search for an answer in his head.

"Is Miss certain her name is Reid?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, I am certain," Alex gave Dobby a powerful yet subtle glare. No one else really saw the dangerous flash that went across her eyes. It was, however, clear as the sun to Dobby. Maybe he didn't completely know what was going on, but he knew enough to know that Alex was telling him to drop the subject and forget about it.

And Dobby was never one to disobey an order. No matter whom it came from.

"Very well, Alex Reid," Dobby gave her a slight bow. "If Harry Potter and his friends will excuse Dobby, he is needed to do his duties now."

"See you soon, Dobby," Harry bid his little friend goodbye. Alex noticed, however, that Hermione became very stiff and agitated when Dobby had mentioned 'duties'.

"What's wrong with Hermione?" Alex leaned over to whisper to Ginny.

"Oh, it's nothing really," Ginny shrugged. "Hermione disapproves of house-elf labour. She thinks they're abused and treated unfairly. She even started S.P.E.W. a few years back, trying to raise awareness for house-elf welfare. That just made all the house-elves mad, though."

"I see," Alex looked over the small group of house-elves, who were easily supplying Harry and Ron with plenty of sweets and goodies. She spotted one house-elf who holding a tray of blueberry scones. Stepping away from Ginny, Alex started to approach him with care. "Excuse me?" she asked softly. "What is your name?"

"M…m…me, Miss?" the poor house-elf looked up at her like she was some giant, ready to gobble him up in a single bite.

"Yes, you," Alex tried to smile to put him at ease.

"M…m…my name is D…Diddle, Miss."

"Hey, Diddle, Diddle, all we need is a cat and fiddle and maybe a cow and moon," Alex quipped. Diddle just looked at her like she was the strangest witch he had ever met. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself. Anyway, Diddle, I was hoping to ask you a few questions."

"Why Diddle, Miss?" if the little elf had been wearing boots, he would have been shaking like mad in them.

"Because you seem to be a respectable house-elf," Alex said. "So would you mind, Diddle?"

"Diddle will answer Miss's questions," he slowly agreed.

"Good!" Then to the amazement of everyone else, Alex crouched down so that she and Diddle were eye to eye. "So how long have you been working at Hogwarts?"

"About…about nineteen years, Miss."

"You don't have to call me 'Miss' every time, you know. I don't need such formalities. You can call me Alex."

"Very well, Miss Alex."

"Close enough," Alex rolled her eyes. "Do you like working at Hogwarts, Diddle?"

"Oh, yes, Miss Alex!" Diddle looked like it would be a scandal to not like working at the beautiful castle. "Hogwarts is the most wonderful place to work. Diddle loves being here. It is a great honour to serve the wizards and witches in the castle."

"How so?"

"What does Miss Alex mean?"

"I mean, what makes Hogwarts so special?" Alex clarified. "There must be something specific that you like about the place."

"Yes there is," suddenly Diddle's eyes had a glazed, happy look. It was kind of scary seeing a dreamy-eyed house-elf. "Headmaster Dumbledore is the best master a house-elf could ever have. He let's us work as much as we want. Us house-elves can work all day if we want to. And he asks us to make special menus for holidays feasts. We make them, Miss Alex!"

"Really?" Alex appeared to be very interested. "So where do you keep your belongings, Diddle?"

"Belongings, Miss Alex?" now Diddle looked thoroughly confused. "House-elves don't have many belongings. Some of us don't have belongings. They always make things messy."

"But what about books and photographs and other possessions?"

"House-elves don't possess, Miss Alex," Diddle said in a matter-of-fact way. "Sometimes if we have something, house-elves share. Except clothes. House-elves never share clothes."

"No," Alex smirked slightly at that remark. "I don't suppose you would."

"Miss Alex is right," Diddle nodded eagerly. "No thinking house-elf would ever want clothes here. We hate to think…"

But whatever the house-elves would hate to think, the group of teens would never know. Diddle started shivering so heavily at the thought that Alex decided to bring the interview to an end. "Thank you for your time, Diddle," Alex bowed her head slightly. "I'm sure that even Dumbledore would be very proud of you."

"Diddle is pleased to help Miss Alex," after a very low bow, Diddle spun around and scurried off with his plate of scones. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron all turned their heads to stare at Alex, who pushed herself up out of her crouching position.

"Well, that's that," Alex shrugged her shoulders casually when she noticed the others staring at her.

"What on earth was that?" Hermione nearly hissed through her teeth. "You call that 'asking a few questions'! That was a complete interrogation!"

"You think they'd notice if we slowly backed away and ran right now?" Ron carefully whispered to Harry and his sister.

"Actually, Hermione, I'd have to disagree with you," Alex remained perfectly calm before the seething Head Girl. "I think that exchange was very informative. Didn't you hear what Diddle said? You were standing right there, after all."

"Of course I heard him!" Hermione cried. "All he spoke of was slave labour. Honestly, they have no restrictions on how long they work. What if they worked ninety hours a week? That's just wrong! And on top of that all, they have to create the menus for all of our feasts, on top of all their cooking and cleaning work. How does that benefit them?"

"It's freedom."

"What?"

"It's freedom," Alex repeated those simple words. "Think about it, Hermione. No one is telling them when to go to work or for how long. To a house-elf, that is total independence. And to be able to create the menu they get to cook, why that's just as powerful. They can use their imaginations and try to surpass their own abilities."

Everyone looked to Hermione to see what she had to say to that. "Well…" her logical mind worked furiously. "What about having no personal possessions? They could at least have something to show how hard they work."

"Come on, Hermione," Alex looked highly disappointed. "We humans have way too much clutter in our lives. All those things that fill up our homes mean nothing. Well…most of it at least. But at the end of the day, they're just things. And they make a mess of our lives."

"Well…" everyone could see that Hermione was having an internal battle. The only question was, which side would win? "I suppose you do make a valid point."

"Thank you," Alex smirked.

"And I might even be open to some of your ideas. But you can't expect me to completely change my views over night!"

"I didn't say you had to."

"Alex, I think you might have done the impossible," Ginny sounded shocked. "I think you might have changed Hermione's view of house-elf labour. We've been trying for years to do that!"

"You heard what she said," Alex tilted her head towards Hermione. "No changing views over night. It takes more than that to mess with someone's opinions.

"So, how about getting out of here? You all had enough to eat?"

"Er…yeah…" Harry looked to Ginny and Ron, who merely shrugged their shoulders.

"Alright, then," Alex said. "Let's get out of here."

-----

Alex, Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron all made their way back to the Gryffindor common room before curfew. By that point it was starting to get late. A few students were left hanging around the fireplace in the common room. They looked up as the quintet entered the room.

Four of them they recognized, the fifth person, Alex, they didn't.

They looked at her with a puzzled expression, trying to figure out who this strange person was. Alex noticed their stares and returned the looks with and icy glare. The students nearly jumped out of their skins before taking off towards the staircases.

"Er…what just happened there?" Harry looked to Alex for an answer.

"Nothing," Alex said smoothly. "I just looked at them. I didn't make them run off like a flock of pigeons. Besides, that was only a minor offence. Nothing wrong there."

"Yeah…right…" Ron said uncertainly. "If looks could kill."

"Anyway," Alex gestured towards the girl's staircase. "I think we ladies need our beauty sleep. Hermione, if you wouldn't mind, I'd really like to turn in for the evening."

"Oh, right. Absolutely," Hermione nodded. "We'll see you later, boys. 'Night."

"'Night, Harry. 'Night, Ron," Ginny joined Alex and Hermione as they started up the stair, leaving the boys behind in the common room.

"Well…" Ron was at a loss for words. "Tonight was…interesting."

"You could say that again," Harry muttered. "I'm still trying to figure out what's going on with her."

"Good luck there, mate," Ron said sympathetically. "Trying to figure her out would be like…

"AAAAHHHH!"

"What the…" all of a sudden, Hermione came tearing down the staircase, completely panic stricken.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. "Are you okay? Was that you screaming?"

"No!" Hermione nearly screamed. "It's Alex!"

"Why?" Harry's face suddenly drained of its color. "What happened?"

"It's Crookshanks!" Hermione cried. "Crookshanks is attacking Alex!"

At that moment, Alex burst into the common room from the staircase, with a very agitated Crookshanks on her heels.

"GET THIS BLOODY DEVIL AWAY FROM ME!" Alex bellowed as she leaped over an armchair, only to have Crookshanks follow her. Harry pulled out his wand, but Hermione spotted him before he could act.

"No!" she called out. "You can't hurt him! Please, Harry, don't hurt him."

"I don't want to Hermione," Harry reasoned. "But we have to do something! Crookshanks' gone mad."

"Yeah, well, this wouldn't've been the first time!" Ron added.

By this time, Alex and Crookshanks had developed a small audience at the base of the staircase. Ginny was back, along with a few other girls, after hearing Alex's scream. Everyone watched as Alex ran circles around the common room. She dodged and ducked to avoid Crookshanks, who never once let up on his chase.

It was scary and comical, all at the same time.

"Alright!" Alex screamed as she finally whipped around to meet her chaser. She crouched behind a table and glared at Crookshanks, who glared right back. "I've had it! Take this, you damn little fur ball!"

"No! Crookshanks!" Hermione cried as Alex took off her cloak and pulled out her wand, all in the blink of an eye.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_!" Alex shouted the simple spell as she broke out into a run. As Crookshanks took to the air, Alex raced by him and caught him in her cloak. She then proceeded to run straight up the girls' staircase…and through the stunned group of girls.

"Wait!" Hermione was the first to recover. She took off after Alex and was soon joined by Harry and Ron. Hermione flew past the other girls, but as Harry and Ron approached, Ginny stepped out and held out a hand.

"Hold on," Ginny stopped the boys in their tracks. "One foot on this staircase and no one is getting up there. You'd better stay down here and wait."

"What!" Harry asked. "How can we just stay down here while they're up there?"

"Yeah, we'll fly up or something," Ron said. But no one had a chance to blow that idea out of the water, because Hermione once again came running back down the staircase.

"Oh, it's awful!" she sobbed. "Alex magically sealed the door to my room. She and Crookshanks are in there right now. I have no idea what she's doing to him! All I heard was Alex cursing and swearing at him like a banshee. Guys, I think she really means to hurt him. I don't know what to do!"

"Don't worry Hermione," Ron said. "We'll fix everything…somehow."

"Right," Harry agreed. "Hermione, let's not panic. You and Ginny are the only ones who can get up the stairs right now, so here's what I think we should do. Ron and I can go get our brooms and we'll work on getting into the room from the window. Ginny, take Hermione and try to find a way to undo the locking charm. If Ron and I manage to get through your window, you may find Alex coming your way, so be prepared."

"Wait a second," a girl in the crowd interrupted. "I think someone's coming down the stairs."

And it definitely was someone; Alex, in fact, with Crookshanks nestled in her arms, and he was…purring!

"Crookshanks!" Hermione nearly collapsed with relief as raced over to snatch Crookshanks from Alex's arms. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Alex," Ginny noticed the state of Alex's bare arms as soon as the cat was gone. "What happened to your arms!"

"Oh," Alex looked down at her own arms in surprise, which were covered in scratches. "I guess Crookshanks and I had a healthy, little rumble up in Hermione's room. Nothing to worry about though. We're both fine now, aren't we Crookshanks?"

Crookshanks gave a little purr in response.

"But…what…why…how…" Hermione couldn't seem to piece together a sentence.

"I think you forgot when and where, Hermione," Ron said.

"Tell me what just happened here!" Hermione cried.

"I thought it was quite obvious," Alex replied calmly. "Crookshanks flips out on Alex. Alex captures Crookshanks. Alex and Crookshanks work things out."

One of the girls on the staircase let out a small giggle, reminding everyone that they still had an audience. "All right everyone, back to bed!" Hermione ordered. "The show's over, there's nothing left to see." And since no one wanted to stick around and experience the wrath of their Head Girl, they all quickly scampered up the stairs to their rooms.

"Well that clears things out a bit," Harry said.

"Right, well, maybe we should be getting to bed too," Alex tried to sneak up the stairs, but was horribly unsuccessful.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Hermione said in her best 'scolding mother' tone.

"I'm going to your room," Alex said like it was obvious.

"Not likely. Not until you've explained yourself."

"I can't. That's confidential," Alex shrugged her shoulders.

"Well that won't do for me," the look that Hermione gave Alex was unnaturally icy. And that made Alex look at her new group of friends with uncertainty.

"Something tells me everything isn't all fine and dandy," Alex glanced at each in turn. "Has my little pep talk with Crookshanks really disturbed you? Don't you…don't you trust me?"

"Of course we do!" Harry exclaimed. But as he looked around to his friends, he noticed they were not so eager to proclaim their trust.

"Look," Ginny began. "I've only just met you, and you do seem like a really good person and all, but what just happened was a bit unnerving."

"I agree," Hermione instantly jumped in. "Who's to say you didn't put a spell on poor Crookshanks to make him behave?"

"Hermione, now I really hate to say this…" Ron started hesitantly. "But you can check for a spell if you need to. And Crookshanks is a pretty good judge of character. I mean, he knew that Scabbers was really that rat Peter, and he knew that Sirius wasn't a mad criminal. If he thinks that Alex is okay, then she's okay."

"Yes, but he didn't think she was 'okay' when they first met," Hermione pointed out.

"Maybe he was confused," Harry said, wanting to defend Alex.

"Oh this is nonsense," Ginny rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with Alex. Someone would have noticed by now. Any anyway, it's getting late."

"I agree," Hermione admitted. "But there's still just one thing…"

"I see," Alex nodded in understanding. "Well then, I suppose there's only one thing that we can do…

And that's how, upon Alex's suggestion, the five Gryffindors ended up having a sleepover in Ron's room.

-----

**A/N:** Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Next one should be up really soon. Please review!

**Next Chapter:** It's Alex's first day of classes...how will things go?


	10. Old Friends

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry that this chapter is a bit short, but I promise I will update in a few days.

**Chapter 10 – Old Friends**

Monday morning came, and that itself could only mean one thing: classes for Alex. Hermione had provided Alex with a school uniform on Sunday evening, which she was now putting on. So Hermione, Ginny, Harry, and Ron were all waiting for Alex to come downstairs, but she seemed to be taking forever!

"Where is she?" Ron groaned with impatience. "We're going to miss breakfast if she doesn't show up soon. And I don't want to sit through double Potions with an empty stomach. You might as well just kill me instead."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Ginny lightly slapped his shoulder.

"Let's just wait a few more minutes," Harry said.

"Well, Ron does have a point," Hermione admitted. "Except for the killing part. We don't want to be late."

"Looks like we won't have to wait anymore," Harry suddenly saw someone coming down the stairs. The group saw that it was indeed Alex, completely head to toe in the Hogwarts uniform. And she looked extremely uncomfortable.

"I am wearing a skirt," Alex face scrunched up in disgust. "I am wearing a BLOODY skirt. I feel like I belong in the 1950s. This school is setting the feminist movement back about forty years or so."

"Come on, Alex," Ginny laughed. "The skirts aren't that bad. Besides, they don't look bad on you. So are you ready to set foot in the jungle?"

"I don't know," Alex hesitated. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Come on," Ginny grabbed Alex's arm and dragged her with them down to breakfast.

-----

The four old Gyrffindors and the one new member all sat together at the Gryffindor table. Nearly everyone else in the room was staring at 'the new girl', courtesy of all the fresh rumors from Saturday night. And that new girl was very much aware of all the attention.

"Wow," Ron whistled quietly. "This would definitely challenge Harry's largest attention grabbing moment."

"Yeah, well, can't say I'm really enjoying it," Alex said as she played with her eggs.

"Alex, are you alright?" Harry asked. "You seem to find your plate awfully fascinating."

"I don't like crowds," she replied shortly.

"I can see that but don't you think…"

"I…don't…like…crowds," Alex repeated. "I'm not going to look at them with unease and self-doubt just to satisfy their need to feel superior."

"Alex…" Hermione started with uncertainty. "I don't think that's the way it works."

"Hermione, I don't know if you've ever stopped to think about it," Alex countered. "Every time someone looks at you, they do it to judge you, evaluate you, and compare themselves against you. If you show any sign of weakness at all, that makes them feel like they've won. Then they feel superior. The others are just being curious, but obviously their mothers never told them it isn't nice to stare."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence that followed. "That's an awfully pessimistic point of view," Hermione said with skepticism.

"But it's my point of view," Alex said firmly. "And it's what I believe. I don't expect you to understand."

"And what is that supposed to mean!" Hermione looked slightly hurt.

"Whoa, girls," Ron waved his hand in between them. "Stop right there. The idea of a cat fight is really tempting but I don't think this is the best place. See all the professors sitting up there at the Head Table? And there's Snape, oh wouldn't he just love an excuse to take points off Gryffindor."

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione huffed. "Do you really think we're that uncivilized?"

"Do I really have to answer that?"

The small group settled down once more to eat their breakfast in peace. They tried their best to ignore the people coming and going around them. That is, until someone hesitantly joined them at the table.

"Hello, everyone."

"Hey, what's up," Ginny asked casually.

"Not much," the shy boy shrugged. "Just barely finished my Potions homework. It's probably not any good and Snape will just yell at me, but I'm trying to tell myself that it doesn't matter."

"That's what I do all the time, mate," Ron said.

"So, er, who's the new girl?" the boy tried to be polite by acknowledging Alex. Said new girl hadn't even raised her head to look at the newcomer. Much to the dismay of the others, Alex maintained her position of plate hypnosis. But then, much to the surprise of the others, the boy made a fairly bold move. "I'm Neville Longbottom, by the way. What's your name?"

As if released from her spell, Alex suddenly turned her head and looked directly at Neville. He had to force himself to not jump under such an intense gaze. She just looked at him, with such a strange expression. For a few moments, Alex and Neville just stared at each other. Nearly a minute passed before he realized that she hadn't answered him.

"Uh, you do have a name, right?" Neville tried again. For a while it seemed like Alex was just going to keep on staring at him. He was almost ready to give up and leave the table when,

"I'm Alex Reid," Alex said quietly.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Alex," Neville said, before turning to the rest of the group with an anxious expression. "I suppose I should leave for Potions now. Don't want Snape to be mad at me for being late. That'd be the best way to start off the week."

So Neville left the table, looking very forlorn as he nearly dragged himself out of the Great Hall. Alex watched him leave in stunned silence, her jaw dropping ever so slightly.

"Alex?" Harry asked. "Are you alright?"

"Er…yeah, I'm fine," Alex gave her head a little shake. "We'd better get to class, too."

"Sounds like a good idea," Harry agreed. "Let's go."

The group started off in Neville's direction, but with Alex falling slightly behind. And that's how nobody noticed the way Alex bit her lip, and the inexplicable expression that swept across her face.

-----

The group came to an intersection in the hallways, and the four Seventh Years said farewell to Ginny, as she made her way to Charms. They continued to squeeze through the mass of students, trying their best not to get separated. Soon they came to a break in the crowd as they approached the stairs leading to the lower levels. But in some ways, it would have been better if they had stayed hidden in the mob.

"Potter!"

Almost as one, Harry, Hermione and Ron all rolled their eyes together. "What, Malfoy?" Harry sighed impatiently.

"What have you done now, recruited another person into your band of losers?" Malfoy sauntered over with Crabbe and Goyle in tow. "I can't believe you've managed to convince another pathetic…"

For a split second, Malfoy trailed off as he finally got a good look at the new person. A look of utter surprise flickered across his face, but then he quickly composed himself again. "Well, just look what we have here," Malfoy flashed a disarming smile. "It's the little girl from the hospital wing."

Purely on instinct, Harry went to move in front of Alex. Alex, on the other hand, just gaped at Harry. "Excuse me?" she looked at Harry like he had gone mad. "What do you think you're doing?"

Harry turned his head in confusion. He stared at her, wondering if he had heard correctly. "Well…I thought I was protecting you," he felt like it was completely obvious. After all, Malfoy and his two bodyguards were never good news and they rarely played by the rules.

"Aww, that's so sweet," Alex put on a fake smile as she proceeded to step around Harry and approach the three Slytherin boys. Harry wanted to reach out and stop her but Ron placed a hand on his shoulder to hold him back. Alex stopped once she was standing directly in front of the Slytherin ringleader himself.

"So I'm a little girl, huh?" Alex paced her hands on her hips. "If I remember correctly, I'm not the only who's little around here." She made a point of looking Malfoy up and down.

"Who are you!" Malfoy's face became slightly red…again.

"Who am I?" Alex repeated. "You mean besides the psychotic escapee from St. Mungo's?"

"Do you know who you are talking to?" Malfoy asked dangerously.

"Should I know?" Alex countered just as coldly.

"Any true wizard would know who I am!" Malfoy nearly exploded. "If you had any idea, you would not be so disrespectful. Nobody insults my family and gets away with it. I am from one of last pure blood lines of…"

"Alright," Alex's hand shot up to silence him. "I get the idea. You're from a big and powerful family. But the thing is, I could care less. So if you don't mind, I think I'll be going to class now. It's my first day and I don't want to be late."

Alex turned around to join the other Gryffindors, but apparently Malfoy wasn't quite finished. "You don't want to mess with the Malfoys," he sneered. "If you have any sense at all, you'll stay out of our way."

All of a sudden, Alex paused and spun around. "Malfoy?" she asked, as if some light just went off in her head. "That would make you Draco Malfoy? Son of Lucius Malfoy?"

Malfoy stared at Alex in surprise. "Yes, of course that's who I am," he replied arrogantly.

"So you're Lucius's boy," a slow, wicked smile spread across Alex's face. "This is quite a surprise. I never expected to see you here. It never even occurred to me."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Well, I don't know, shouldn't you be at Azkaban right now, visiting your poor father who's behind bars?"

Harry, Hermione and Ron were transfixed by the conversation. It was like watching someone poke a stick at an angry bear. "Do you think we should just grab Alex and go?" Hermione asked with concern. "We're going to be late for class if we don't leave soon."

"Bloody hell, no!" Ron exclaimed. "This is the best entertainment we've had in ages."

"Besides," Harry pointed out. "I think Alex is doing fine against Malfoy."

"Watch your mouth," Malfoy warned, as his hand almost reached for his wand.

Alex just gave him a satisfied smirk. "Like that's really going to work," she patronized him. "I'm only telling the truth. It's not like it's a big secret, anyway. Everyone knows about it. Everyone talks about it behind your back. You may not hear it, but it's there."

"Who are you to talk about my father that way?" Malfoy demanded. "What right do you have? You know nothing about us. You're probably some filthy Mudblood who doesn't know what it's like to be a pure wizard."

"And here you go, making assumptions," Alex exclaimed. "You don't know anything about _me_, Malfoy. You don't even know who my parents are. They could be anybody! So at least I don't pull my comments out of thin air."

"Alright, then," Malfoy said smugly. "What is your family name? And this time you will answer my question."

"I'm Alex Reid. That's all you get to know."

Malfoy fell silent for a moment, clearly trying to make a connection with the name Reid. He was most likely going through a mental list of important leaders and diplomats. "Nobody of any importance has that name in the wizarding world. So I must have been right, you are just a low class Mudblood," he concluded self-righteously.

"Ah, Malfoy, again with your assumptions," Alex shook her head as she finally turned around to leave.

"Then who is your father?" Malfoy's eyes narrowed. The four Gryffindors started to walk away, but Alex turned her head and gave Malfoy the most curious smile.

"Oh, but you already know my father."

-----

**A/N:** Again, I'll update soon. Please review!

**Next Chapter:** Potions class with Professor Snape...need I say more...


	11. Cantankerous Potion Professors

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews!

**Chapter 11 – Cantankerous Potion Professors**

_Last Chapter: Alex turned her head and gave Malfoy the most curious smile. _

_"Oh, but you already know my father."_

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed as they left Malfoy standing there, with his mouth hanging open like a fish. "I can't believe it. You were great. I've never seen anybody give it to Malfoy like that."

"It was amazing," Hermione reluctantly agreed.

"Yeah, well, what can I say," Alex continued on like it was nothing. "He was being a pain the ass, so he had it coming."

"Does Malfoy really know your father?" Harry was looking intently at Alex. For some odd reason, the thought that Malfoy might know more about Alex than he did greatly troubled him. If Malfoy knew her father, then why didn't Alex tell him who he was?

"Of course he doesn't," Alex said, refusing to look at any of them. "It's all a mind game, Potter. It's about who has the power. I implied that Malfoy knew my father so that it would drive him crazy trying to figure out who he is. Malfoy always tries to mess with people's minds. That's just how he is. So I thought I'd give him a taste of his own medicine."

"But you knew about Malfoy's father," Ron pointed out. "How'd you know about him?"

"Come on, Weasley," Alex rolled her eyes. "It's the Malfoys. Lots of people know about them. They were all over the paper two years ago when Lucius got arrested. You'd have to be living under a rock not to hear about them."

"So who is your father?" Harry tried, even though he suspected Alex's answer.

"I can't say," Alex's face was set with determination. "It's confidential. People here already know too much about me. I'm supposed to be hiding out here, remember?"

"So is Alex Reid even your real name?" Hermione challenged.

That comment must have struck a cord, as Alex came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the hallway. The two boys just looked back and forth between the two girls, wondering with trepidation how Alex would react. "What do you think?" Alex asked Hermione.

"I think if I were in protective custody, I would change my name," Hermione answered after a few seconds. "But then again, that's just me."

"Good answer," Alex gave an appreciative nod before continuing on to class. Harry and Ron just shook their heads in disbelief.

"I don't know if we'll ever figure this girl out," Ron said.

Harry was quick to respond. "Since when do we ever figure out any girls?"

And that earned him a nice elbow from Hermione.

Double Potions with the Slytherins. What more could be said about that?

The four Gryffindors entered the classroom and found a group of seats around the middle of the room. With a minute to spare, they also noticed Malfoy and his two thugs enter and take up some seats in the rear. No one missed the icy glare that Malfoy shot in Alex's direction. Alex chose to respond with a bored, unimpressed expression, and then she turned her back on him.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, Snape stormed into the classroom. And apparently, everybody missed the cold glare that he shot towards a certain new student. Maybe that was because he also had a scowl on his face.

"Today, we will be making Wolfsbane Potion," he immediately started in. "It is a very precise and difficult potion and I don't expect many of you to succeed."

A wave of whispers washed over the entire class. "Is he mad?" Hermione let out a quiet hiss. "He knows how complex that potion is, even for a seventh year class."

"Here is your list of ingredients," Snape flicked his wand and words magically appeared on the board. "Now get started everyone. Also, I will not tolerate any talking, whispering, or any subtle conversation during this class. You are to work alone and not in pairs today. Anyone caught disobeying these rules will be punished."

No one wanted to argue with him, so the whole class immediately got to work preparing for the potion. Soon the only sounds that could be heard were the chopping sounds as students prepped the ingredients and the soft bubbling of the potions in progress.

At one point, Harry glanced over at Alex, who was using one of Hermione's old cauldrons. He was a bit surprised to see her working so calmly. Alex didn't seem to acknowledge anyone else in the class, even Snape who occasionally made his rounds in order to make his biting remarks. Her gazed was fixed on her cauldron as she stirred it. Then she turned around and started working on chopping up her next ingredient.

Harry wondered briefly how her potion was going. He knew that his, with his luck in Potions, would probably turn out to be a soupy mess. But he really didn't care all that much. Harry was way beyond worrying about what Snape thought of him.

A few more minutes passed by, until the menacing professor drilled out further instructions.

"Those of you who are brewing a successful potion will soon have a properly smoking concoction," Snape said. "Though I doubt any of you will be able to reach this state. Either way, continue on until you have completed all the steps of the potion."

"Professor Snape, sir?" Malfoy raised his hand, with a terribly wicked smirk on his face. "The new girl over there, it seems like her potion is already smoking. And look, she's just sitting there doing nothing."

Harry turned quickly to look at Alex. It was true; there she was sitting quietly on her stool. The potion beside her did indeed look finished. She had an opened book sitting in her lap but her gaze was now scanning the classroom…as every other student turned to look at the "new girl."

"You," Snape simply said, as he swept across the room and towered before her. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I did as you said, sir," Alex stated logically. "I did my potion and now I'm reading my potions book."

"How have you finished your potion?" Snape exclaimed. "I do not see anyone finished with theirs. Not even our resident Miss Know-It-All has completed hers."

Soft cries of protest rippled through the Gryffindors, while soft snickers could be heard throughout the Slytherins. Hermione bristled with resentment. For once, Snape didn't bother trying to silence the class. He was too busy glaring at Alex to care.

"What did you say?" Alex asked incredulously.

"I said that Granger is not finished, therefore it is not possible that you could be finished," Snape continued, knowing exactly what he was saying. "For that reason alone, I suspect that there is something amiss here."

"I didn't cheat if that's what you mean," Alex folded her arms across her chest.

"That is precisely what I mean," Snape sneered. "And I think I made it quite clear at the beginning of class that anyone who breaks the rules will be punished. Therefore I will be taking twenty points from Gryffindor, for your blatant disrespect for my rules."

Alex looked like she couldn't believe what he was saying. "How can you accuse me of something that…"

"Thirty points!" Snape exclaimed. "And you will be given detention as well."

Alex nearly growled out loud, it was so obvious on her face. Instead, she buried her face in her hands. "I don't have time for detention!" Alex muttered softly, as if she felt she was dealing with a child. Unfortunately for Alex, Snape's hearing was better than she realized.

"That will be two detentions for you, Miss Reid!" Snape was close to snarling by now. "And you are to never question my authority again."

Well, that was it for Alex. She took her face out of her hands and gave Snape such a look that it should have turned him into stone. "You know what?" Alex snapped. "I don't need this and I don't need you. I don't know what game you're trying to play here, Snape, but it's not going to work with me. This class is pathetic. I don't have to be here so I am going to leave right now!"

Within a matter of seconds, Alex had packed up her things and was out the door, leaving a stunned class and a very pissed-off professor.

-----

Harry, Ron and Hermione were the first students out the door at the end of class.

"Where do you think she is?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Harry was really worried about her. "If I had my map we could find her in a second, but it's upstairs in my trunk."

"Let's check the library," Hermione suggested.

"Oh, sure, Hermione," Ron rolled his eyes. "Alex runs out of class and the one place she wants to hide out in is the library. She's not you, you know."

"I know she isn't me!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's just that anyone who can make that kind of potion in that amount of time is a real genius. Why wouldn't she be interested in books? I mean, if I could make the Wolfsbane Potion that quickly, I would be…"

"Do I detect some jealousy?" Ron looked very amused.

"Of course not," Hermione stiffened. "Anyway, the library is on the way back to Gryffindor tower. That's the only reason why I suggested it in the first place."

"Alright, it's okay," Harry said. "It's a good idea, 'Mione. We'll go."

-----

A few minutes later, when the trio entered the library, they didn't know whether they should be surprised or not. There, sitting alone at a large table, was Alex. She wasn't really doing anything; she just had her head in her hands and this tired look on her face.

"Alex?" Harry softly called to her as the three of them joined her at the table.

"Don't" she replied while refusing to look at them. "Don't ask me about what happened back there. It's confidential. Besides, it'd take too long to explain anyway."

"You should have seen Snape after you left class," Ron blurted out, unable to stop himself. "I've never seen him so angry, expect maybe with Harry. I didn't know anyone else could piss him off that much."

"Yeah, well, just call it my gift," Alex sighed.

"I'd like to know where you learned to make potions like that," Hermione jumped into the conversation. "I've never seen anyone do such a complicated potion so quickly, which is why Snape was probably caught off guard like that. You must have been at the top of your class at your old school."

"Not really," a strange sort of smirk passed quickly over Alex's face.

"Yeah, right. And Dad's the Minister of Magic," Ron snorted.

"Oh, come on," Alex really started to look annoyed. "Just because I did one potion, doesn't mean I'm a genius or anything. I'm not good at everything, you know. I'm sure that every one of you could kick my ass at something or other. How about you, Ron? How could you beat me?"

For a dreadful moment, no one spoke as they desperately racked their brains trying to save Ron from painful humiliation. "Wizard's chess!" Hermione nearly screamed out loud, she was so glad to have thought of something. Then she remembered that they were in the library, so she quickly leaned forward to whisper excitedly. "Nobody at school can beat Ron at wizard's chess!"

The tips of Ron's ears turned a lovely shade of bright pink. "There you go," Alex had to commend their quick thinking. "I'm not good at wizard's chess. And you Hermione?"

"Oh, Hermione's grades are better than anyone's," Ron instantly jumped in. Hermione had to look away to hide the sudden color on her cheeks.

"Alex still finished her potion before I did," Hermione said respectfully.

"So what?" like that really mattered to Alex. "As a matter of fact, Granger, grades aren't even that important where I come from."

"What!" Hermione couldn't believe it for a second. "How is that possible? How can grades not be important? How can you try to do better if you don't know how well you're doing in the first place? That makes no sense to me…"

"Anyway…" Ron interrupted her before she could continue her crazy train of thought. "I bet Harry could beat you in DADA, Alex. No one stands a chance against Harry when it comes to defense."

At that moment, Harry and Alex locked eyes in a silent staring contest. "And how did you become so skilled in defense, Harry?" Alex asked knowingly. "Don't tell me that everything just came naturally."

Before he even opened his mouth to answer her, several images flashed quickly through Harry's mind. The first one was of him and Professor Lupin, practicing the Expecto Patronum spell to chase away the dementors. The other image was of him and Hermione practicing the Accio charm before the first task of the tournament back in fourth year. "No," Harry said softly. "I had to practice."

"Thank you, Potter, you've just proven my point," Alex fixed her intense green eyes on the trio. "I am good at certain things because I practice. There's nothing more to it than that. Haven't you ever heard that practice makes perfect?"

"Yes, but…" Hermione started but Alex quickly interrupted her.

"No buts, please, I'm too tired to deal with buts right now," Alex's hands started massaging her temples in slow, small circles.

"Well, maybe we should be going," Harry suggested, looking at his watch. "It's almost lunch time."

"I'm not really hungry," Alex sighed as she followed the other three out of the library.

"Well, you should try to eat something," Harry glanced at Alex with concern. He didn't know if it was just him, but he strongly suspected that something was wrong with Alex. Harry didn't keep track of how much she was eating every day, but he was sure that she wasn't eating properly. Whatever her problem was, something was definitely bothering her and it was slowly and subtly affecting her health.

"I'm fine, Potter," Alex gave him a very fake smile. "Let's just go."

As they all left the library, Harry managed to sneak a quick look at Ron and Hermione. They all had identical expressions on their faces, all clearly saying:

_This is going to take a _long_ time_.

-----

**A/N:** Please review!

**Next Chapter:** Alex has a chat with Hermione...Firenze gives Harry a warning...


	12. Danger at Hogwarts

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians and happy 4th of July to our neighbours to the south. Go see Superman Returns, it's a good movie!

**Chapter 12 – Danger at Hogwarts**

It was later that Monday evening when Alex knocked firmly on the door to the Head Lounge. She had been looking everywhere for the curly-haired Head Girl. Ron, who had managed to convince Harry to play a game of wizard's chess with him in the Gryffindor common room, said that Hermione was most likely there in the lounge, doing paperwork. Why Ron wasn't helping her, Alex didn't ask. As it was, though, Alex wanted to have a private conversation with her new classmate.

The door to the lounge opened wide, to reveal a cozy looking room and Hermione standing there in the doorway with a quill still in her hand.

"Oh!" Hermione looked fairly surprised to see who was currently standing out in the hallway. "Alex. I thought you might have been Harry…or Ron. He often forgets the password to this room. So…did you need something?"

"Yes, actually," Alex said matter-of-factly. "I was hoping that I could have a few words with you."

"Er…okay. Come on in," Hermione stepped aside and gestured to the sitting area in front of the warm fireplace. Alex entered the lounge and promptly took a seat in a large, comfy armchair. Hermione joined her, sitting in another chair opposite hers so that they would be facing each other. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to talk about you and me, and where we stand with each other," Alex's words were so blunt that they caught Hermione off guard.

"Excuse me?" Hermione blinked a few times. Talk about brutal honesty.

"I think you heard me," Alex repeated herself. "I want to be honest here and I want you to be honest too. I'd like to know what you really think of me and why you're acting the way you are around me."

"Well, you're certainly not one to waste time on idle chit-chat," Hermione raised her eyebrows at the other girl.

"Not when I have something to say," Alex said. "I also believe in being honest…when it comes to most topics."

"Alright," if that's the way Alex wanted to play, then Hermione could play it too. "You want to know what I think of you? I'll be honest, I don't trust you. We hardly know a thing about you and yet here you are, moving freely around the castle. You show up out of nowhere and you're immediately accepted into Gryffindor House. Everything is moving just a bit too quickly for my taste, thank you."

"I see," now it was Alex's turn to raise an eyebrow. "And here I thought it would be hard for you to be honest with me."

"It's not as difficult as you think," Hermione muttered.

"That's fine," Alex replied. "Because you know what? I don't entirely trust you guys either. Yes, I have some secrets, and I'm not trying to hide that fact. It's so obvious that I'm not telling you all certain things but I have my reasons."

"I suppose everyone has secrets," Hermione admitted.

"Of course!" Alex exclaimed. "Everyone has skeletons in their closets; some are just bigger and scarier than others!"

That earned Alex a slight smirk. "I think you're right about that," Hermione agreed.

"So tell me," Alex continued on. "You're not just concerned about yourself, are you? You're worried about something else, right?"

"Yeah…" there was a slight hesitation in Hermione's voice. She just finished saying how she didn't trust Alex, but Hermione was beginning to realize how good it felt to talk about these feelings. Maybe she could reveal more to Alex, but at the same time not tell her _everything_. "I am worried about Harry. In fact, what worries me the most is you and Harry."

"Me and Harry?" surprise quickly flickered across Alex's face.

"Yes, I know it sounds strange," Hermione began to watch Alex's face very carefully for any signs of reaction. "You see, here at Hogwarts, new people are generally not good news. We've had a few professors who've been very deceptive around here. To put it mildly, they wanted to kill Harry. We've also had some close calls with other people who we thought were out to get Harry."

"Now I get it," Alex kept her face perfectly blank as Hermione explained her deep concerns. "I walk in here, well…float in here on a stretcher, and suddenly I'm hanging around the famous Harry Potter. I could have some sinister, evil plot up my sleeve and no one would even suspect me."

"We have to be cautious," Hermione said sternly. "I was a bit naive back in my first year here. I thought that we were all well protected and that we would always be safe as long as Dumbledore was here. Now I know that Hogwarts is not a solid, impenetrable castle. I've seen too many people sneak into this place over the years. There are ways to get in, and I worry about Harry's safety now. I might not talk about it but it's always in the back of my mind. I don't want to see him get hurt. He's been my friend for seven years and I'll do anything to help him out."

Hermione paused to take a breath, waiting to hear what Alex had to say about her little speech.

"You don't say," Alex mused. "Well that would explain a lot of things, like your hostile behaviour towards me."

"Sorry," Hermione apologized softly. "I tend to get a little paranoid. Harry and Ron would agree to that. It's just that I seem to be the only one besides the professors who is cautious around here. I have my reasons, though! Back in our third year…"

"What?" Alex asked, her eyes lighting up with interest. "What about your third year?"

"Oh, well…it's a long story," but as much as she tried, Hermione couldn't ignore Alex's penetrating and pleading look. "Oh, alright. Basically Harry was given a new broom after his old one was obliterated by the Whomping Willow. I was the only one to suspect that it was from Sirius Black. Turns out it was alright and there was nothing really wrong with it. Harry and Ron were furious with me, though. But at the time Sirius was supposed to be a mad criminal who escaped from Azkaban!"

"Yeah, I heard of Sirius Black," Alex said in a strangely calm tone.

For a moment, neither girl spoke as they each processed parts of their conversation. Hermione gave Alex a careful look before she opened her mouth to speak again. "Alex," she started slowly. "I don't know if Harry's ever mentioned Sirius before but if he hasn't I would caution you from bringing him up. Sometimes, depending on his mood, Harry can be very temperamental when it comes to Sirius."

"And the reason for that would be…"

"Sirius turned out to Harry's godfather," Hermione reluctantly remembered the difficult days after the incident in the Department of Mysteries. "He died, but that's all I should say about that. I've already said too much about it. I don't want to talk about him like this behind Harry's back."

"That's fine, I understand," Alex easily accepted Hermione's respect for friend-to-friend confidentiality. Instead Alex turned her attention to the small desk a few feet away that was literally covered with books and parchment. "So…doing some official Head Girl work?"

"What…oh, yeah, I've got some figures to calculate and such," Hermione lazily waved her hand towards the various piles. "I swear I'm the only one around here who knows how to balance the books."

Alex suddenly went very pale. "You mean math and numbers and stuff like that?" she asked with a horrified expression.

"Yes, it's very simple Arithmancy," Hermione was very confused by Alex's change in color.

"Sure, simple for some, maybe," Alex visibly shivered with disgust. "I hate math with a passion. Don't understand it and don't want to understand it."

"You sound like Ron," a small grin crept along Hermione's face.

"He's a smart one, I'd keep away too if I were him."

Hermione could only shake her head in response. "Speaking of my work, I'd better get back to it if I want to finish it tonight," she said to Alex.

"No problem," Alex gave her legs a good stretch before she pushed herself out of her chair. Hermione stood as well, and walked Alex to the door.

"I guess I'll see you in the common room later?" Hermione asked.

"Absolutely," Alex agreed. "But, uh, Hermione, there was kind of one more thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"And that would be…"

"Well, I know our weekend sleepovers were fun and all, but I don't think they'll be a great permanent solution. So I was wondering if I could maybe room with you like we had talked about before."

"Actually…" actually Hermione wasn't sure what she thought about that anymore. If they were roommates then at least someone would be around Alex almost all the time. Now it was a matter of how much Hermione trusted Alex.

Alex easily guessed what Hermione was thinking. "Hermione," Alex just gave her an exasperated look. "If I was trying to trick you all or read your minds, then someone would have noticed. I've met your headmaster AND that dragon in a human costume called Snape. They're really powerful. They can detect that sort of thing."

"I suppose," Hermione conceded. "I really appreciate this talk, Alex. I must say, I feel much better about you being here now. Hopefully things will turn out for the best."

"I'm sure they will," Alex nodded as she opened the door to leave. "Bye Hermione, see you in a bit."

"Bye, Alex."

Once outside the in the hallway alone, Alex couldn't help but smirk with the deepest of satisfaction. She nearly laughed out loud as she remembered that old expression.

_Keep your friends close and your enemies closer._

_-----_

Harry didn't know what Alex and Hermione had talked about (neither of them would say anything about their conversation on Monday night), but he understood that something between them had changed. Hermione wasn't on her guard anymore, and she wasn't sending Alex any other suspicious glances. It seemed the two girls had settled their differences and come to tolerate each other's presence. Harry, for one, was glad, because their group did not need any extra problems at the moment. Things were stressful enough as it was, especially with only a few months left of school.

Later on in the week, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Alex were heading back to Gryffindor tower after a full day of classes when they met Firenze around the main entrance area. It was hard for the students to miss the large centaur, so they slowed down to say hello.

"Harry Potter," Firenze greeted Harry in his deep, rich voice. "I hope the new year is going well for you and your friends. It has been some time since our paths have crossed."

"Hello, Firenze," Harry nodded to the centaur. "How are classes?"

"The same as always," Firenze gave Harry a slight smile. "And who, may I ask, is this new member of your circle?"

Everyone suddenly remembered that Alex was still a stranger to many people in the castle. "Oh, Firenze, this is Alex Reid," Harry jumped in with the introductions. "Alex, this is Firenze. He teaches divination here at Hogwarts."

"Pleased to meet you," Alex said in a _very_ polite tone, while her cheek did this curious little twitch.

"It is an honour to meet another friend of Harry Potter," Firenze replied just as formally. Then he turned his attention back to Harry. "Harry Potter, may I have a word with you? It would only take a few moments of your time."

"Sure," Harry shrugged. "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay. Meet you up in the tower?"

"Sure, mate," Ron said.

As soon as the other three had left, Firenze made a subtle gesture to Harry. "Come," he said. "My classroom is not far from here. I would rather speak there than out here in the open."

Harry followed the centaur to one of the most unique classrooms in the entire castle. Designed to resemble the outside and the forest, Firenze's room was far different than the neat and tidy rooms with straight rows of desks and chairs. Once they were both inside, Firenze firmly shut the door.

"So what did you want to tell me?" Harry asked, not wanting to waste much time getting to the point.

"I wish to talk about a certain evening, about one month ago," Firenze looked up to the ceiling, a semi-dark 'sky' sprinkled with stars. "It was a restless night for me, and I had journeyed outside so that I could observe the true stars. Harry Potter, I have kept secret for the past weeks what I saw in the stars that night. No one knows what the stars revealed to me."

"What was it?" Harry was almost afraid to know. "What did you see?"

"I saw great danger," Firenze answered softly. "Possibly the greatest danger Hogwarts has ever seen. It is coming…or it has already come."

"But what is the danger?" Harry suddenly felt confused and uneasy.

"That I do not know," Firenze said gravely. "The stars do not reveal such information. I only saw and felt a deep sense of warning, and that is all I have. But I do know that a danger is inevitable, that much is clear."

Harry paused for a moment to consider Firenze's words. Hadn't he experienced a deep, foreboding feeling himself, just after Christmas? Wasn't he worried about the upcoming months and Voldemort…

"Firenze," Harry had a gradual idea. "What if the stars were referring to Voldemort? What if this all means that he is going to come and attack Hogwarts? That would make sense, right? I mean, Voldemort would probably be the biggest threat this school has ever seen. I'm here, and so is Dumbledore. If Voldemort wants to take over the world, he'll have to get by the two of us first. Once we're out of the way, then nothing could stop him. He'll have to deal with us sooner or later."

"Those are good thoughts, Harry Potter," Firenze looked down directly into Harry's face. "That idea occurred to me as well. But I am afraid it is the obvious interpretation of the stars. Something tells me that the plot runs deeper than we realize."

"What do you mean?"

Surprisingly, Firenze seemed to hesitate before answering. "I believe that the stars point to someone other than the Dark Lord. Someone who will easily escape detection and suspicion until it is too late."

"Do you know who it could be?" Harry asked with fire in his blood. The thought of another disguised intruder parading around Hogwarts was almost too much for Harry to stomach. Hadn't they done enough in the past! How dare someone threaten his school again, which was practically his home?

"I need more time," was Firenze's simple reply. "I shall wait to see if the stars reveal more to me as the days continue."

"I see," Harry still felt anger flowing through him. "So why bother telling me? I'm usually the last to know things around here."

"I am mentioning this to you, because I feel that you will be affected by this forthcoming danger in any case," there was almost a hint of sadness in Firenze's eyes. "For it seems to me that you are always in the middle of any danger that comes to Hogwarts."

"Now that would be the understatement of the decade," Harry muttered sarcastically.

"Harry Potter, you have shown great strength for one so young," Firenze suddenly pulled himself up to his full height, with little patience for Harry's self-pity. "I believe you have the ability to fulfill your destiny, but you must heed my warning. Accept it for what it is, as centaurs normally do not share such information with humans. Though I would see you win this battle against evil so that our world will be a safer place.

"Please, Harry Potter, keep your senses open to all that is around you. Watch carefully for any signs of danger so that my warning will not be in vain."

"I'm sorry, Firenze," Harry quickly felt a rush of shame, something that he wasn't used to feeling lately. Luckily, the good centaur reminded Harry that this approaching danger would affect more than just him; most likely it would engulf the entire school. "I'll be careful, you have my word. If there's anything suspicious roaming around the castle, my friends and I will find it."

"I hope so," Firenze replied in a more gentle tone. "Take care of yourself as well, Harry Potter. Until we see each other again."

"I will," Harry promised. "Bye, Firenze. And thank you for the warning."

"You are quite welcome," Firenze raised a hand in farewell to the young wizard. He watched Harry carefully as he slipped out of the nature-style classroom and away from sight.

As soon as he was alone, Firenze raised his eyes to his magically simulated stars. "I only hope," he whispered to himself. "I only hope that he has the strength to see what stands before him even now. May his mind be clear and free from the power of his heart."

-----

Whether it was only a coincidence, or a direct result of his conversation with Firenze, Harry Potter experienced later that same night one of the most bizarre dreams he had had in a very long time.

Harry was standing in the middle of an empty Gryffindor common room. A fire roared in the fireplace but no snapping or crackling sounds could be heard. In fact, the whole place was silent as a grave. Harry looked over his shoulder, wondering where everyone else was, when he suddenly heard the voice.

"_May it be when darkness falls_…"

Turning around and around, Harry couldn't find the source of the voice. It was singing. It was singing this slow, sad song.

"_You walk a lonely road_…"

There was something about the voice. It was familiar somehow, and yet it was slightly different and faintly changed. But Harry couldn't quite figure out whose voice it was. He turned to face the fire again and quickly saw that he was no longer alone.

There, sitting before the raging fire, was a black panther. Its tail twitched as it studied Harry closely. It had piercing green eyes that seemed to break into his soul. At first, Harry didn't know if he should be afraid of the large cat or not. Though something in the back of his mind told him this was only a dream, and as long as he was dreaming the cat couldn't hurt him.

"_When the night is overcome_…"

There it was again! Harry wondered briefly if the panther was the source of the song, but then soon dismissed that idea. It didn't look like the panther was singing; it just sat there doing nothing.

Then, without any warning, the panther got up and silently padded its way over to the door. Once it got there it paused, looking back to Harry as if it was telling him to follow it. Harry hesitated, not knowing it if he should trust it. But the panther wasn't going to wait for him. The door swung open on its own, and then the panther immediately turned its head around and proceeded to leave the common room.

Harry's curiosity got the better of him and he took off after the panther. He followed it as it roamed through the halls of the school. If Harry thought that it was empty in the common room, then what he found outside was even stranger. That's because there was not a soul in sight in the entire place. Surely there would be some people in the halls, but there were none at all. It gave the school an eerie atmosphere, like it was an abandoned ghost town.

"_Mornie utulie_…"

Now the voice and the panther were leading Harry through the school. He wondered where they were taking him when he suddenly realized that they could be heading towards the front entrance.

"_Mornie alantie_…"

They soon arrived at the front doors that lead outside, confirming Harry's suspicions. The panther paused again, and this time turned completely around to face him. Once more, Harry found himself staring into its eyes. He wondered why the panther would bring him here of all places.

"_Mornie alantie_…"

Suddenly, the front doors opened a crack, letting in a blinding, unnatural light from outside. With the light came the sound of hundreds of voices. Maybe that's where everyone was! But what were they doing out there? Harry tried to step forward and look through the crack but the panther moved to stand in his way.

"_Mornie alantie_…"

The doors began to swing open, revealing more light and noise. Harry had to step back or else be overwhelmed by it all. The panther stared at him with a knowing look, if panthers could show emotion on their faces at all. Soon the voices outside became a roar, and Harry found that he was being swallowed by the light. But above all the other voices, he somehow heard the one voice that had been singing to him before. But this time it did not sing, it whispered one last phrase to him as the light took him.

"_Darkness has fallen_…"

-----

**A/N:** the lyrics at the end are from _May it Be_, by Enya. I am only borrowing them and I'm not trying to say that they're my own work. I know they aren't, they belong to Enya. Please review!

**Next Chapter:** Harry and Alex have a heart to heart


	13. Worst Day of the Year

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. This chapter is slightly longer than some of the recent ones. Enjoy!

**Chapter 13 – Worst Day of the Year **

There is one day in every year that brings terror and pain into the hearts of many people. Sure, this same day can also bring much beauty and pleasure into other peoples' lives, but these are the people who usually don't even notice the pain and suffering of the rest of the population. And it's all thanks to this one day in every year; one day that has been turned into a twisted and commercialized "holiday". That's right; many of you have already guessed it.

Today was the dreaded Valentine's Day.

Of course, as mentioned before, it's normally only dreaded by those people who just happen to alone and single, without someone special to share the day with. And wouldn't you know, there were five Gryffindors currently sitting at the Gryffindor table, all of whom were in this exact same position of singleness (though some of them were less worried about it than the others at the moment.)

"Would you look at them all?" Ron said in a mixture of disgust and envy (obviously, he was one of the ones who were worried.) "All those stupid couples sitting together like they're on some kind of date. We're only having supper in the Great Hall, for crying out loud. Even I wouldn't consider that a date!"

"Well, you are Head Boy, Ron," Hermione pointed out before she took a sip of pumpkin juice. "You can always go over to them and separate them."

"Not bloody likely!" Ron quickly turned his attention to his mashed potatoes.

"Thought so," Hermione smirked. "And, Ron, don't swear."

"Oh, stop it you two," Ginny lightly scolded them, but her heart wasn't exactly into it. In all honesty, she kind of shared her brother's mindset. It wasn't easy watching other people pair up when you had no one. "I think we really need something to take our mind of them."

"Hey, anyone else notice all those articles in the Daily Prophet this morning?" Ron asked.

"You mean the ones discussing the recent Death Eater attacks?" Harry said bitterly as he stabbed his innocent pork chops.

"Er…yeah, those ones," maybe this wasn't such a good topic.

"You know, Harry," Hermione started carefully, hoping that he wouldn't go ballistic on them. "I was thinking that we should start up some kind of defense group again, like the DA. Of course, you wouldn't have to be the instructor or anything, but I think we could all use the practice, especially us older students. If anything were to happen…we'd want to defend ourselves and the younger students too, right? Not saying that anything is going to happen but…well, it's always best to be prepared."

"What ever you say, Hermione," Harry said in a tone that meant 'I'm really not listening.'

"I think it's a good idea," Ron shrugged his shoulders. "At least it would give us something to do for the moment, you know, instead of sitting around doing nothing about it. Imagine how much better we'd be too if we all put in more practice time. I'd like to see a bunch of Death Eaters take us on once we've got our own mini army."

Harry suddenly couldn't take it anymore. He abruptly stood up from the table, startling his friends. "I have to go," and he left before anyone could say anything else to him. Alex stared after him, while Ginny, Hermione and Ron acted like it was nothing new.

"Okay…" Alex said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Either Potter was going to piss himself here at the table or something is seriously wrong with him."

"Oh, don't mind him," Hermione waved her fork in Harry's direction. "Every once in a while he has these little moments. It's nothing to worry about really."

"He likes to have a bit of time to himself," Ginny sighed. "He goes somewhere to think things through. It's best to just leave him be. It's hard to see him go off like that, but there's not much we can do."

"You're kidding me," Alex gave them all an incredulous look. "You're telling me that no one even tries to talk to him. You just leave him all alone? I thought you were his friends."

"Well, it's not like we don't try!" Ron didn't like being criticized like this. "We've always wanted to help Harry, but whenever we try he usually ends up yelling at us. Nothing we ever say is good enough, and we can never understand what he's going through. You try convincing him that everything's going to be okay and there's nothing to worry about, and see how far you get!"

"It doesn't help that he keeps secrets from us," Hermione added gently. "It's so obvious that he's keeping something from us and it's hard trying to help him knowing that. It's like he uses his secrets as an excuse to distance himself from us."

"But you're his friends!" Alex exclaimed. "If you don't worry about him, who will?"

Apparently, Alex had gone too far. Ron's face suddenly became red with anger. He pointed a finger directly at Alex's face. "Hey!" he gave her a very non-Ron glare that was cold and dangerous. "Have you been here for the past two and a half years? And the four years before that? No, I don't think so! You haven't been around to see what we've had to go through. You haven't had to watch your best friend go through Hell, and even we don't know the half of it. You don't have the right to judge us like that. You were never here!"

Ron sat there fuming, glaring at Alex, as if he was daring her to say anything after his little rant. Hermione and Ginny looked between him and Alex, wondering whether or not Alex was going to leap over the table and throttle Ron right then and there, in front of the entire hall.

Thankfully Alex had enough common sense to not cause such a scene. Anger flashed across her eyes for a brief moment, but then remorse was also present. She suddenly glanced away, allowing Ron to win this round.

"I'm sorry," Alex said carefully. "I didn't mean to yell at you like that. And you're completely right, I haven't been here the past six and half years."

Then she pushed herself away from the table and started to leave.

"Alex," Ginny called after her. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know," Alex paused, barely looking over her shoulder. "Someplace where I can think."

Ginny slapped her brother on the side of his head as soon as Alex was out of sight. "You didn't have to be so mean to her," she scolded.

"Ginny!" Ron thought his own sister would have been on his side. "Did you even hear what she said? She basically accused us of being bad friends. I don't know about you but I wasn't going to sit here and take that bullshit from her."

"Ron, don't swear," Hermione said half-heartedly. "I think we have to be patient with Alex. You're right Ron…"

"Ha!" Ron pumped his fist into the air. "You see? I'm right!"

"What I was going to say…" Hermione rolled her eyes. "Is that she hasn't been here, like you said. But that's not her fault. She's been dumped into the middle of things here and she's trying to make the best of it."

"Are you defending her?" Ron asked, shocked to his core.

"No, I'm not defending her and I'm not agreeing with her either," Hermione replied matter-of-factly. "I'm merely trying to see the situation from her point of view. That's the fair thing to do in this situation."

"So you're saying that she's wrong?" why did Hermione have to be so confusing sometimes?

"I'm saying that she doesn't have the necessary background knowledge to make a proper judgment."

"So…she's wrong."

"Whatever!"

-----

After lugging their tired bodies up to the Gryffindor Tower, Ginny, Hermione and Ron finally found Harry sitting alone on the window seat in his room.

"Hey, mate," Ron casually greeted him.

"Hey," Harry replied without enthusiasm. He could tell it was them as soon as they had opened the door. They were too cautious. Plus they had knocked; Neville, Dean, or Seamus obviously wouldn't have knocked since this was also their room. Harry didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. That was why he came to his room, to be alone.

But as his friends came a bit closer, he could start to see their reflections in the glass of the window. That's when Harry noticed that there were only three reflections in the window, not four.

"Where is she?" Harry immediately spun around to meet his friends. He didn't even have to ask who, it was clear on his face.

"We don't know, Harry," Ginny wanted to choose her words very, very carefully. "She left the Great Hall a few minutes after you. We have no idea where she went."

"Why?"

"Oh, dear," Hermione muttered under her breath before she let out a huge sigh. "Harry, we sort of had a minor disagreement with Alex before she left. We didn't mean for it to happen but we just starting talking and then it turned into an argument and then…well, she just left."

"What were you arguing about?" Harry's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You!" Ron scrunched his face up in absolute disgust. "What else do you think we'd argue about?"

Harry didn't even reply to Ron's sarcastic remark. Instead he nearly dove across the room to his trunk that was sitting by his bed. Harry almost ripped the hood off its hinges in his attempt to get into it faster. Once he was inside, he started throwing things over his shoulders, making an enormous mess on the floor as he searched for what he was looking for.

"Harry, what are you…" Ginny started to ask, but then Harry's head finally emerged from the trunk. He was holding an old, folded piece of parchment.

"Oh," Hermione quickly understood. "I see."

"I'm going to find her," Harry explained as he quickly opened the parchment and muttered the magic words ("I solemnly swear I'm up to no good.") "I won't let her wander the castle all by herself. She hasn't been walking around the place long enough to know where everything is. She could get lost and I don't want anything to happen to her."

"Harry, nothing's going to happen to her," Ron sighed. "As long as she stays inside the castle she'll be fine."

Again, Harry chose not to answer him. He focused his attention on the map instead, searching for the one particular name he wanted to see. After a few seconds, he finally found it: _Alex Reid_.

"There she is," Harry pointed to the spot on the map. "Looks like she's in the Owlery." In his haste to get going, Harry didn't even notice the way the name was severely out of focus compared to the others.

"Good luck, Harry," Ginny called out to him as he raced out the door.

"Don't forget to back by curfew!" Hermione added quickly.

-----

Harry was lucky enough not have run into Snape, Filch, or Mrs. Norris on his mad dash to the Owlery. He barged through the door, only to come to as screeching halt. There was Alex, standing alone and off to the side of one of the small balconies that allowed the owls easy access to their special room. Harry approached her cautiously, not wanting to frighten her. But Alex must have heard Harry's soft and gentle footsteps, since she slowly turned her head to greet him as he came to her side.

"Hey, there," Harry said, suddenly at a loss for words.

"Hey, there yourself," Alex gave Harry this bizarre look. "What are you doing up here? It looks like you've been running."

"Well I was," Harry admitted. "I was out looking for you. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Yeah, I'm fine Potter," Alex sighed. "I just needed a bit a space, you know. I had a couple of things I needed to think about."

"Well, if you want to be alone…" Harry knew exactly how she felt. He was in her shoes only a few minutes ago. But for him, something had pulled him out of that space. And that something was currently standing beside him.

"No," Alex shook her head. "You can stay if you want. I don't care. This is your school, after all."

"Okay," Harry said. "Then I guess I'll stay."

"Fine," Alex shrugged, like it didn't matter to her either way.

"So how did you find your way up here?" Harry asked, curious to know.

"I just started walking and I ended up here. It seems like a good deserted place. Something tells me that all the other towers would probably be full of snogging couples, being Valentine's Day and all. I don't think this would be a very appealing tower, what with all the owls, and feathers and crap on floor."

"No I don't suppose it would," Harry gave a little, bitter laugh. He was suddenly reminded of the time he and Cho had been up here…alone. Boy that relationship really didn't turn out too well.

"So what was the reason behind your dramatic exit from the Great Hall?" Alex's question pulled Harry away from his unpleasant thoughts.

"Oh, err…nothing really," Harry shifted uncomfortably.

"Sure, Potter," Alex gave a soft snort. "And I left your friends because everything was absolutely perfect."

"Well, actually it was a couple of things," Harry confessed. The tone in his voice made Alex change her mind.

"Look, Potter, I'm sorry," she turned to look at him. "I didn't mean to pry. We don't have to discuss it if you don't want to."

Alex was giving him an out, but Harry realized that at the moment he didn't feel like taking it. "No, it's okay," he assured her. "Actually, the whole couple's holiday thing was kind of getting on my nerves. That was one reason."

"Yeah," Alex smirked as she agreed with him. "I felt like vomiting all over the table. It gets to me too."

"I mean, we were at supper and people were treating the place like it was their own private restaurant!" Harry continued on, but whether he was talking to Alex or himself was uncertain. "You can't just do that. You have to respect everyone else in the room. There are actually some of us who don't have girlfriends or boyfriends, thank-you very much. But couples never remember that. They're always lost in their own little world."

"I hear you," Alex nodded.

"Don't these people realize that there's more to life than being with someone? I really don't get people who are so worried about finding their perfect match, and if they don't find them then their life doesn't have any meaning. It's pretty pathetic once you think about it. They can't be 'whole' unless they can share their life with someone. They can't seem to function as a single person. Even if their relationship isn't the best, they stick with it, because the thought of being alone terrifies them. So they'd rather be in a bad relationship than no relationship at all."

"Err…Harry?"

"What?"

"Should I have a seat?" Alex gestured to the messy floor beneath them. "'Cause I could clear a spot for us if you really need to keep going with this."

"Oh, no," Harry felt his face warm with embarrassment. "I shouldn't have said anything at all. It's probably just crazy babbling to you."

"Or the bitter ranting of a single person who's been burned by someone," Alex mused.

Harry wanted to tell Alex how crazy _her_ idea was, but he couldn't bring himself to form the words, mostly because he knew she was right. In a way he had been burned. Whether he liked it or not, Cho Chang had left an indestructible footprint on his heart. Harry didn't want to admit this. He was able to live through most days completely convinced that he didn't care. But then there were days like this; Valentine's Day. And this day just seemed to amplify his problems.

It wasn't that he wanted to get back together with Cho. That part of his life was over now. What really hurt Harry was the way he now doubted himself because of that relationship. Did Cho only go out with him because he was Harry Potter, the boy who lived? Would every other girl be drawn to his name and not Harry the person?

The only problem was, he is and always will be Harry Potter. No amount of wishing would ever change that. He would never be considered "normal." He knew too much to ever have a normal life. The things that he saw and did would always be with him. That's what worried Harry the most.

Any girl he loved would have to deal with him and all his little demons that came with the Harry Potter package. Harry didn't think that Cho could have dealt with all of that. She seemed to get upset whenever she didn't have Harry's full attention. She didn't appear to understand that there was so much going on beneath the surface. What Harry really needed was a girl who understood dark times; someone who understood that the world could be a harsh place. But at the same time, Harry needed someone who would stand beside him and look that harsh world straight in the eye, because that's what brave people do in hard times.

Though Harry doubted that he would ever find such a girl. So he was very slowly training himself; preparing for a life in which he might be very much alone.

"Don't give up hope," Alex whispered so suddenly that Harry was startled out of his reverie. "Always keep some hope for yourself."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Harry tried to keep his voice from shaking.

"Oh?" Alex raised an eyebrow at him in amusement. "Look who's pulling an Alex, being all secretive and everything."

"Hey, there!" Harry quickly pointed an accusing finger at her to mask his embarrassment. "You cause me enough headaches, Miss Alex. Did you know that the other thing bothering me is all your fault?"

"My fault!" Alex exclaimed indignantly.

"Yes," Harry muttered. "You and your little 'I'm not good at everything' speech in the library earlier this week."

"And how is that my fault?"

"Well…" Harry's embarrassment suddenly came rushing back to him in full force. "I've been thinking about it all week, especially the part when I admitted I practiced DADA."

"You are making no sense to me, Potter."

"No, don't you see," Harry rushed to explain. "I don't know why it didn't hit me until now, but it finally opened my eyes. I practiced. _I practiced_! It's not like I'm some superwizard who can wave a wand and get the spell right the first time around. I've been running around the past six years doing this and that, when the whole time I've been doing what everyone else does, practicing. What if I'm in a role that's not meant for me? Who's to say someone else wouldn't do a better job. I mean, everyone expects so much from the great Harry Potter, but what if I'm really not that special? What if I let everyone down?"

"Wow, so we're away from relationships and now we're talking about fighting skills," Alex whistled. "You really made a quick switch on that one, Potter."

"Alex!"

"Sorry," Alex raised her hands in surrender. "I just don't know what you want me to say."

"I don't know either," Harry had to admit, this was difficult for him. He was so used to holding in his feelings, to keeping his thoughts and secrets away from his friends. A small part of him felt that they wouldn't understand, but the bigger part didn't want to burden them with his troubles.

He seemed, however, to have no problem talking to Alex about the same issues. There was something about her that was so inviting, like you could tell her anything in the world. Maybe that's what Harry needed right now, a dependable confidant.

"Well, Potter," Alex sighed. "I'll tell you this: I've seen a lot of powerful witches and wizards in my life and I can honestly say that there is a difference between them and the others."

"The others?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, you know, all the other wizards and witches," Alex continued on. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is we all have magic in us, even some Muggles, I think. The ones with a lot of magic and power are the really strong ones. They may have to practice some, but they usually catch on pretty quickly.

"The ones with less magic can practice their asses off to become better, but in the end the ones with more magic would still win in a duel."

"I see," Harry didn't know if he believed her. "And you think some Muggles have magic?"

"Well, in very tiny amounts," Alex reasoned. "How do you think we would get Muggle-born witches and wizards? They must carry a bit of magic in themselves somewhere for them to pass it on, like some kind of recessive gene."

Harry looked at Alex in amazement. He never thought about it like that before. "You really think so?"

"Why not?" Alex countered. She paused for a moment, like she was trying to decide how to phrase what she wanted to say. "Look, Potter, I'm sorry I made you doubt yourself. But for what it's worth, I've heard some pretty incredible things about you."

"You have?" Harry didn't know if he should be flattered or embarrassed. "Like what?"

"Let me ask you this," Alex said. "Can you do certain spells better than your classmates, or better than other wizards could when they were your age? And forget everything about them practicing, even if they train really well. Are you better than them at times? And be honest here."

"I…well," Harry was seriously stuck. "I suppose…when it comes to certain spells."

"Yes or no, Potter."

"Yes," Harry winced. It was so difficult to say that he was better, especially when he didn't know if he really was. But he could make one hell of a patronus charm. At least he was right about that.

"Then that's all you need to know," Alex said softly.

Harry looked directly into Alex's face, but she wasn't even facing him. She now seemed to be in deep concentration. Her gaze was focused out into the night sky, as if she was remembering something about her past. Harry realized that Alex hardly talked about her family. Did she miss them? What were they like?

Then, for the first time that night, Harry saw that Alex's fist was loosely closed around some small object. Why hadn't he noticed it before? What was it? He would have asked her about it, but Alex suddenly inhaled deeply, like she was surprised though she tried to conceal it.

Harry quickly followed her gaze out over the Forbidden Forest, and immediately saw the cause of Alex's shock. Flying gracefully over the forest, bathed in the light of bright full moon, were two Thestrals.

"Whoa!" even Harry was amazed at the impressive and gorgeous sight. He continued to watch as they did a few aerial acrobatics before they dipped below the tree cover and out of view. "That was amazing. I've only seen them a few times before."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex swiftly turned away from the opening, with a deep frown etched on her face.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked incredulously. "You saw them didn't you? They were right over there…"

Harry leaned over the edge of the railing slightly and pointed in the general direction, just to emphasize his point. How could Alex have missed them? Wasn't she the first one to see them anyway? Alex turned to shoot Harry an icy glare, but instead her face quickly became a ghostly white. Her free hand instantly shot out and pulled Harry back from the railing and over to the side with her.

"What are you doing!" she shouted at him. "Are you crazy?"

"What am I doing?" Harry was clearly confused. "What are _you_ doing? I nearly fell over here! What's gotten into you?"

"I…I…don't," Alex stumbled over her words as her body trembled slightly. "I'm scared of balconies, okay."

Harry froze. He was so not expecting that. Of all the things to be frightened of! "Balconies?" she sure seemed to be serious about it. "What, is it the heights or something?"

"I guess you could say that," there was definitely a hint of bitterness in her tone.

Harry couldn't believe it. He had solved another piece of the 'Alex puzzle.' He only wished that he could learn more. It didn't help that Alex was obviously holding back. She was so closed off and sarcastic most of the time. He wondered if she would ever find a place for herself at Hogwarts, or if she would always be on the outside looking in. He knew that she held many secrets, and he probably would never learn half of them, but he didn't want to see her go through life alone.

"Alex," Harry nearly whispered her name. "Please don't do this anymore. You can't always be on your own."

Alex looked into his eyes and didn't need an explanation. She knew exactly what he meant. That's when she realized that being outside of the hospital wing and walking around the school was not enough. She had to live.

"Alright," Alex whispered in return. "Enough is enough. Things are going to change around here."

"Glad to hear it," Harry offered her a small smile.

So Harry and Alex left the Owlery together, each knowing that somehow, the school was soon going to be very different. Harry hoped that Alex would be happy here.

Alex, however, prayed that she would be able to survive the next few months.

-----

**A/N:** You know what to do: please review!

**Next Chapter:** Alex is fitting in at Hogwarts...and what ever happened during Alex's detention with Snape?


	14. Ghosts, Charms and Detentions

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews!

**Chapter 14 - Ghosts, Charms and Detentions**

And so the days flew by at Hogwarts, until it was almost the first official day of spring in late March. Alex had been a part of Gryffindor for about a month and a half now. Things had definitely developed into a new pattern. First of all, the legendary Gryffindor trio was no more. Now it was constantly a quartet. It was as if Harry, Alex, Hermione, and Ron were joined at the hips. They were rarely seen by themselves, except maybe for the girls who sometimes studied in the library while the boys were in Quidditch practice.

Most of the professors didn't mind the enlarged group, except for when they would start making some fuss (usually one of the girls would be arguing with the boys.) Even though there was only one more member added to the gang, sometimes four seemed much worse than three. For the professors who were around during James Potter's time, they feared that they had another generation of Marauders on their hands. Their only consolation was that Hermione Granger was in the group, and the professors knew that Hogwart's Head Girl would never let things get too out of hand.

While the addition of Alex changed the framework of the group, it also changed the members of the group itself. This was mostly noticeable in Harry and Alex. Harry, who was often closed-off and reclusive up until the Christmas holidays, was becoming more and more like his old self, before his fourth year and the whole return of Voldemort. Alex, who had also been closed-off and reclusive, was suddenly lively and very different from before.

There were still many things that Alex wouldn't tell the rest of the group, but they had slowly come to accept that as part of who she was. She didn't really smile much, but at least she wasn't always so negative all the time. And Alex actually cracked a few jokes here and there. She brought this unusual energy to the group that also very refreshing. And speaking of unusual energy…

Alex, Hermione, Ron, and Harry were walking to Charms class one morning when they suddenly spotted Peeves the poltergeist showering a bunch of second years with chalk dust. Several erasers were beating against each other, constantly following the poor students wherever they went.

Hermione was about to open up her mouth to shout at Peeves, but Alex held up her hands to stop her. "Hold on there, Granger," Alex said in a casual tone. "I've got it covered."

She reached into her robe pocket and slowly pulled out her wand. Then she proceeded to march over to where Peeves was hovering.

"PEEVES!" Alex roared as she whipped her wand into the air. "Be prepared for some serious non-corporeal ass kicking!"

Hearing the sound of that particular voice, Peeves head immediately spun around to face the approaching witch. And if it were possible, one could almost say that Peeves' face became even whiter. He let out a pathetic little yelp, and then he took off down the hallway as fast as his ghostly body could take him.

Seeing her target flee, Alex started chasing after him. "Get back here you bloody ghost!" she yelled. "If you weren't already dead…"

The other three watched her as she came to a screeching halt at the end of the hallway. "No fair!" Alex cried around the corner. "You little coward, you know I can't pass through walls. I'll find you, you little…" But the end of Alex's sentence was cut off by the fact that Alex had already taken off in pursuit of her prey.

"Wow," Ron said. "That's like the second time this week she's done that. It's a shame they don't stick around. I'd love to see what she does to him."

"Ah, but she won't be able to say anything," Hermione replied.

"It'll be confidential," Harry added solemnly.

"You have to wonder though," Hermione continued on with this thoughtful look on her face. "How does one hurt a ghost, unless Alex knows some sort of spell that allows her to turn Peeves into a corporeal being? If so, I'd wish she'd tell us where she found it. A spell like that would be awfully fascinating to learn. Imagine the possibilities! We'd be able to…"

"Or we could just wonder why Alex is the only student in Hogwarts who Peeves fears," Ron interrupted.

A moment later, Alex reappeared completely out of breath. "Sorry, everyone, the little bugger got away from me again. I swear I'll get him next time," she huffed. "So off to class, then? Charms awaits us!"

Alex linked her arm with Hermione's and happily walked away, leaving the two boys to trail behind them.

-----

"Try your best, everyone. Try your best!"

Flitwick stood atop his stack of books, eagerly encouraging his seventh year class. Some needed no encouragement from the petite professor, as they were doing perfectly fine. The others, however, were beyond the benefits of encouragement, since they were hopelessly lost anyway.

The class was currently working on invisibility charms. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Alex were nearly bored to tears.

"This is bloody pointless," Ron muttered as he tried and tried again to make his feather disappear. "Why do they get us to do this kind of stuff?"

"Because they can, I suppose," Harry shrugged. He wasn't having much luck either.

"I…am…so…bored," Alex bit out each word as she tried to correctly flick her wand. "I think I'm going to start pulling my hair out…oh, look! I think I actually made the tip of my feather disappear!"

"I agree," Hermione sighed as she repeatedly flicked her wand with ease, making her feather reappear and disappear in an endless cycle. "This is rather pointless (flick). We could be practicing other charms too (flick). This is a rather tricky spell. I don't know why Flitwick insists we practice until everyone gets it (flick)."

That just earned Hermione three _very_ nasty glares.

"Yeah, well, some of us aren't masters of complicated charm spells," Alex nearly growled with frustration. Her invisible tip had reappeared again.

Luckily, the entire class was saved from further aggravation when Flitwick interrupted. "Splendid work today, class," he clapped his hands together enthusiastically. "Now if I could have your attention please, I will hand out your tests from last week!"

Several loud groans could be heard amongst the students as they lined up to receive the bad news (and the good news was sure to be few and far between.) They filed out of the classroom, gazing over their latest results.

Ron cursed softly under his breath. "Look at this!" he stared discouragingly at his test. "I only got a 61 this time. How'd you guys do?"

Hermione quickly tried to hide hers, which had a glowing 116.

"Not much better," Harry just shoved his test away in his bag. "I got a 70."

"Well, join the 'happy loser club'," Alex waved hers around in the air. "I have my 64 right here!"

"What!" Hermione almost grabbed Alex's test just to be sure.

"Don't start again, Granger," Alex warned. "I'll not have you lecturing me _again_ about my study habits. I told you I wasn't good at everything. Maybe now you'll believe that I'm just an average student."

"But I know you have such potential!" Hermione exclaimed. "If you would only study a little bit more or try a bit harder…"

"Look, Granger, this is the best I can do," Alex pointed to her test. "I'm honestly not good at this stuff. It's not an act. I didn't learn much of this stuff where I came from. And quite frankly, I really don't care."

"That's too bad," Hermione sighed. "Especially when you do so well in Potions."

"That's an entirely different story," Alex said.

"I still don't get how you could even come back to Potions after what happened last month," Harry wondered.

"Well, that would be between me and Snape," Alex swiftly reminded her friends. "Besides, I don't think he'd like me talking about it."

Ron shook his head in disbelief. "Really, Alex, you and your secrets."

-----

Snape, at the moment, was sitting alone in his quiet office. He had a few minutes before his next class and he wanted to collect this thoughts. He knew he should be preparing for his lesson but this was one of those rare moments when he needed to sit down and think.

He had a puzzle to solve, one of the most challenging puzzles he had had in a very long time. This particular puzzle came in the shape of a certain seventeen year old girl with brown and blonde hair.

He was still suspicious. He didn't care what Dumbledore or McGonagall had to say about her. He wasn't going to trust her yet. In these dangerous days, one had to be very careful about trusting people. If only she wasn't so good at making Potions, then it would be so much easier to hate her!

As he continued sitting in his chairs, his thoughts slowly drifted towards her detention that took place almost five weeks ago.

_(flashback)_

It was the evening after Valentine's Day. Snape was grading papers at his desk when he heard a knock at his door. He looked questioningly at the solid piece of wood. The knock was very uncharacteristic of most of his students. He knew it had to one of his students since he was not expecting a visit from any of his fellow professors. But this knock was firm and unwavering. It belonged to a professor and not a student, since Snape knew that nearly all of his students were petrified of him.

"Come in," Snape called, semi annoyed. If it actually was another professor, then why hadn't they entered by now? When the door opened and revealed who was on the other side, Snape had to focus on hiding the surprise on his face. "Ah, Miss Reid," he put a hint of sarcasm in his voice for good measure. "I do hope you are prepared for your detention?"

"Yes, sir, I am," Alex nodded. She stood there calmly but respectfully. Snape nearly raised an eyebrow. Who was this girl? And what did she do with Alex Reid? She was definitely not the same girl who had stormed out of his classroom a few days ago.

"Very well, then," Snape said. "I suppose I will have to find something suitable for you to do." Snape paused as he regarded her carefully. He always hated detentions. That usually meant giving students something to do. He normally didn't trust students to do a good job. That's why he usually gave students jobs that were far, far away from his classroom. The last thing he needed was to have some bumbling idiot of a student mess up his surroundings.

There was just one problem. Snape knew that his personal store room was a complete disaster area at the moment. He had recently received a large shipment of ingredients the other day and he hadn't found the time to organize anything yet. Worse still, he doubted he would be able to find the time within the next day or so. He was so incredibly busy with grading, lesson planning…and meetings with a certain secret organization that was dedicated to fighting a certain dark lord.

And yet the solution to his problem could be right here in front of him. But dare he trust her with such a task? Snape had become very protective of his store room over the past few years. People kept on stealing his supplies! But Miss Reid was a Seventh Year. It's not like she was a very immature First Year. Could she handle the job?

"I do have one idea…" Snape started slowly. "Though, I do not know if you would be capable of doing the task."

"Whatever it is, sir, I'm sure I can do it," Alex said with pure confidence.

"We'll see about that," god, Snape just wanted to strangle her. She was so calm, yet so damn cocky at the same time! "The assignment I have in mind would test your organizational skills and your precision."

"Sounds interesting to me," Alex shrugged her shoulders. "What did you have in mind, sir?"

Snape paused, and took a moment to consider his game plan. Then, without saying a word, he rose from his chair and swiftly left his office, leaving a slightly confused Alex behind. After a hint of hesitation, Alex hurried after him and followed the surly professor. Soon they were standing before another door. Alex glanced up at Snape as he continued to stand there like a statue. There was conflict written all over his face, but something in his being made him reach out and open the door. It swung open on its hinges, revealing Snape's precious store room.

Alex looked around and was fairly surprised. Several opened boxes where sitting in the middle of the floor, jars were empty and were scattered over the many shelves that lined the walls. The room wasn't neat and it certainly wasn't orderly. In fact, it appeared to be the exact opposite of Severus Snape. No wonder he was so cranky lately; a perfectionist with an imperfect room!

"This, Miss Reid, is my personal store room," Snape explained efficiently. "In here you will find all the ingredients needed to make a standard potion. You will also find several simple potions that have already been prepared and bottled. You will not, however, find any dangerous or potent potions in this room. Those are under lock and key in another location."

Like he was taking any chances while Potter was still at Hogwarts.

"Your job would be to organize this chaos," Snape continued on. "Can you do this?"

If Alex was irritated by Snape's abruptness, she did an impressive job of hiding her feelings. Instead, she turned to look him directly in the eye. "Would you like me to follow your system?" was all she asked him.

"I would prefer it if you could," Snape almost sneered at the thought that she could duplicate _his_ system. "But I suppose I can always come in afterwards and make the necessary corrections."

"Is there anything specific that needs to be done?"

"Of course! Unpack the new ingredients, place them in the appropriate jars, remove all the labels from the jars and rewrite them, arrange everything in an orderly fashion, and clean up any garbage in the room," Snape honestly didn't expect that Alex would finish all of that, but why worry about it. If she could manage to get a good head start on this project, then that would make his life a whole lot easier. "Just one more thing," he ordered as he glanced once more across the room. "If you even consider stealing anything from this room, I will find out eventually. I know exactly how much inventory I should have so if I find afterwards that something is amiss you will receive five more detentions. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Alex surveyed the job to be done.

"Good," Snape turned to leave but then paused with an evil grin on his face. "Oh, and you won't be needing your wand tonight. I never allow students to use their wands during detention."

If Snape was expecting Alex to throw a tantrum over this last minute detail, then he was going to be sorely disappointed. Alex merely shrugged and pulled her wand out of her cloak pocket. She willingly placed it in Snape's waiting hand. Snape glared at her with contempt before he spun around and took off to his office.

Several hours later, Severus Snape was still sitting in his office when he realized that it was approaching 11 o'clock. He hadn't even checked on Alex once and she hadn't even returned to his office.

'_She probably ran back to Gryffindor an hour ago_,' he thought bitterly to himself. '_Without her wand. That shows what she thinks of her belongings_.'

Snape marched himself over to his store room, only to pause just outside the door. It was still open and he could hear someone moving around inside. Ever so slowly, he approached the doorway and peered inside. There, to his utter amazement, was Alex, sitting on the floor surrounded by near-empty boxes and dozens of jars. Snape had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing things properly. At that moment, Alex looked up at him in surprise.

"Oh," she said lightly. "Hello, Professor. I didn't realize you were still around. Since you're here I'll let you know that I almost emptied all your new inventory boxes and I've finished arranging those shelves over there. I'm sorry I haven't gotten to the other ones yet and I still have to clean up the garbage but I imagine I can finish up during my second detention, don't you think?"

Snape blinked again. He made his way over to the shelves that were finished and began inspecting her work. All the labels looked exactly like the ones he did himself…only he had to admit that the hand writing was much better than his.

"How did you manage these labels?" he demanded, turning around to face her.

"I did them by hand, of course," Alex frowned with confusion. "I didn't have a wand so I couldn't use a writing spell. I also find that it helps to write out the descriptions first, then attach the labels to the jars. It's sort of hard to write around a jar, if you know what I mean. I could've gotten more labels done, but I'm kind of slow at writing. At least I do a good job since I take my time."

Great Merlin, he just wanted to smack her. Snape turned back around to examine the rows of jars. They were neat and tidy. This wasn't right. This aggravating girl wasn't supposed to do such a good job. She was supposed to fail so then he could berate her and criticize her work. Then he'd take great pleasure in making her do it all over again. That's when he noticed something else.

"The jars…" Snape couldn't quite believe it. "They're properly categorized."

"Yeah, I noticed you kept them separated into five categories," Alex started rattling them off on her fingers. "Solids, powders, liquids that…"

"I know my own categories," he snapped quickly to cover his shock. "How did you come to be so adept at potions and ingredients? Who was you teacher?"

Alex only offered him a small, naughty smirk. "I'm afraid that's confidential, Professor."

Bloody hell. "Fine," Snape dug into his pocket and practically threw Alex's wand at her. "Be sure you are here at the same time tomorrow evening. I expect this room to be in immaculate condition by the end of your detention."

"No problem," Alex shrugged as she tucked her wand away. "Good night, Professor." And then she was gone.

Snape stood alone in the middle of his store room, wondering what on Earth had just happened. This was not good at all. He didn't know what made this situation so wrong but it unnerved him to think that this girl could so easily organize his room. He knew that she was not a Legilimens since he didn't feel her probing into his mind. Something told him, though, that she was one hell of an Occlumens. Whenever he had tried to extract anything at all from her mind he came up empty. It was like trying to look through an impenetrable wall. There was simply nothing there to see or feel.

That was what scared Severus Snape most of all. No girl her age would be that powerful for nothing. He knew that Voldemort was planning something; he just didn't know what it was…yet. As it was, Voldemort was being particularly careful lately, only letting out information on a last-minute, need-to-know basis.

Snape didn't know what this girl's agenda was, but you could be sure that he was going to keep an eye on her. If no one else would, then he would do the job himself. No, he did not trust her in the least…and if that meant that she should stay in his potions class, then so be it. He took one last look around his store room. He knew he had to leave now. His eye was starting to twitch with exasperation.

Damn her for being an evil perfectionist!

-----

**A/N:** Please review people! Even just a short one, it doesn't take too long.

**Next Chapter:** Bad news hits Hogwarts...

_"It's starting," Harry suddenly said quietly._

_"What's starting?" Hermione asked._

_"The war."_


	15. Bed Time Stories

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews! I also want to point out that for the purpose of my story, Ginny will be a sixth year prefect for Gryffindor. As far as I know, Ginny is not made prefect in HBP, but I'm just making this small change for the sake of my plot. Just wanted to let you all know.

**Chapter 15 – Bed Time Stories**

The past few weeks had been much too quiet. In fact, there hadn't been many reports of Death Eater attacks since around Valentine's Day. That in itself should have been enough warning. But of course, that was the way that Voldemort worked.

And so, it shouldn't have been a surprise when a large barn owl appeared in Great Hall one evening at supper.

The solitary owl seemed strangely out of place. It caught the attention of many students and professors as it gracefully swooped through the air, before it came to a graceful landing in the middle of the Head Table…right in front of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore gazed thoughtfully at the owl as he graciously accepted the envelope from its leg. He nodded slightly to the large bird and it gave a loud hoot in response. Then, in a ruffle of wings, it was airborne again and it flew away into the night.

Some students didn't want to stare at the Headmaster, so they politely turned their heads away and continued their conversations. Others did not look away, including a select group of Gryffindors who were very curious.

"I wonder what this is all about," Ron said. "Seems strange to me that Dumbledore would get a letter in the middle of supper time."

"Maybe it's important," Hermione shrugged. Harry and Alex, on the other hand, were too focused on Dumbledore to say anything.

"I hope it's not bad news," Ginny said.

They continued to watch Dumbledore as he carefully opened the envelope and removed the letter from inside. They watched as he began to read the letter, hoping for any clue as to what was going on. But if they were hoping for anything spectacular, they would be very disappointed. Dumbledore's face barely changed. Harry, however, noticed the subtle changes that the others were sure to miss. He could tell; he had witnessed the various sides of Dumbledore that other students never got to see.

Dumbledore's face grew slightly pale and his eyes changed as well. Harry knew that look; Dumbledore was concerned and afraid. Whatever was in that letter was _not_ good news. Harry's eyes never left Dumbledore, even as the professor stood to address the student body.

"May I have your attention please," Dumbledore fought to keep his voice even. It didn't take long for everyone to settle down; it didn't take a genius to realize that something big was going on here. "Thank you. I am afraid I have some unpleasant news. I think it would be best if we ended supper for tonight. But before you leave, I must ask that our Head Boy and Girl stay behind, along with one prefect from each house and the following students: Natalie MacDonald from Gryffindor, Stewart Ackerley and Orla Quirke from Ravenclaw, Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff, and Eliza Derrick from Slytherin.

"That will be all. I ask that everyone return immediately to your dormitories. As for the prefects who do not stay behind, please ensure that all the younger students arrive safely to the dormitories. I assure you, all your questions will be answered in due time. Now, if you would all please leave in an orderly fashion."

-----

"This is not good," Harry muttered to himself as the entire student body left the Great Hall. "There's no way this can be good. Dumbledore never does things like this."

"What do you think it is?" Alex asked. The two of them were walking together in the middle of the mass of students. Ron and Hermione had to stay behind because of their positions, and Ginny was the Gryffindor prefect who volunteered to stay behind.

"I don't know," Harry replied. "Nothing like this has happened in months. I mean, our last real scare was the whole Department of Mysteries thing nearly two years ago. Sure, we've been fighting ever since then but nothing really major. That's what has me so worried, you know. It's like Voldemort has been playing with us up until now. Something tells me he was just building up his troops until he could do something worth while."

"And you think this is it?" Alex glanced at Harry carefully.

"I hope it isn't," Harry sighed. "'Cause if it is, then that means things are going to get much worse."

Everyone eventually made their way back to their common rooms. Harry, Alex, and the rest of the Gryffindors were all waiting impatiently around the room. Everybody was utterly confused and no one wanted to go anywhere without hearing what was going on.

So they sat or stood around and waited for what seemed like forever. Where was McGonagall? Where were the others? Then, startling everyone and causing silence to envelop the room, McGonagall appear with Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Natalie right behind her.

Harry's heart sank when he saw Natalie, who was currently being comforted by Ginny. He just happened to make eye contact with Ginny when she briefly raised her eyes and looked directly at him. Harry saw a combination of fear and despair in those bright brown eyes. Good lord, this was not good.

"We have just received terrible news," McGonagall got straight to the point, though Harry noticed that her voice wavered ever so slightly. "There has been a large Death Eater attack on several wizard families. No survivors have been found amongst the attacked. We have lost 36 witches and wizards today, some of whom were aurors and others were family members of students here at Hogwarts.

"I ask that everyone give the grieving students some personal space for the moment. All of you are to stay here in Gryffindor Tower for the rest of the evening. I strongly recommend that you stay in your dormitories for now. I know this is a difficult time for everyone but I am counting on you all to stay calm."

A few students nodded slightly, while others could do nothing but stare at McGonagall. What could they say to something like that! McGonagall took one last glance around the room, then turned to look at Hermione. The look clearly said, 'I trust that you'll keep things in order.' Hermione gave a brief nod to the professor as she swiftly left the common room, leaving the room full of frightened and confused students.

That's when all hell broke loose.

Everyone suddenly found their voices again, and they were all shouting questions at Ron and Hermione.

"What's going on?"

"Are we in danger?"

"How do we know who is hurt?"

"Is You-Know-Who coming here?"

"What are we going to do?"

"I need to send a note to my parents!"

"We still don't know anything!"

"How long do we have to say up here?"

"Will there be classes tomorrow?"

"When will find out more?"

"Why did Professor McGonagall leave us?"

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Are we allowed to send out owls right now?"

"SILENCE!"

Hermione shouted above all the others, doing a very good McGonagall impression. Her face was stern and her eyes were flashing dangerously. She made her way over to a chair at one of the tables and stood upon it so that she could see everyone in the sea of people. No one spoke another word, their eyes were transfixed by the sight of their Head Girl.

"Thank you," she said curtly. "You all heard what Professor McGonagall said. I also strongly recommend that everyone go to their rooms now before I have to do anything drastic, like take away house points. If you think I'm joking, just try me."

No one had to be told twice. The common room quickly began to empty, as everyone made a mad dash towards the stairs. Hermione jumped down from the chair and joined the others.

"I think I'll take her up to her room," Ginny said quietly, nodding her head towards Natalie, who was still crying softly in her arms. "I might be up there for a while."

"Sure," Hermione looked at the poor girl with great sympathy. "Take your time."

So Ginny lead Natalie away, leaving Harry, Hermione, Alex, and Ron alone in the common room.

"So…feel like going up to your rooms?" Ron asked.

"No," Harry replied shortly, plopping himself down on a couch in front of the fireplace.

"Me neither," Ron said as he and the girls joined Harry.

"So what happened down there?" Harry finally asked after a moment of silence.

"Not much," Hermione admitted tiredly. "After you all left, Dumbledore told the five students that their parents had unfortunately been killed in Death Eater attacks, you know, the students he called by name. Anyway, then he told Ron and I that he would need our help in maintaining order around the school during the next few days. That was pretty much it. He said a few words about how he was sorry for their loss. Then the prefects who stayed behind had to help escort the students back to their houses. It was awful. You think Natalie was bad up here, you should have seen them all down stairs."

"It was scary," Ron shuddered at the recent memory. "Some of them were even screaming. I never saw anything like it."

"It's starting," Harry suddenly said quietly.

"What's starting?" Hermione asked.

"The war."

"Hate to break it to you, mate, but I think the war started after we busted into the Department of Mysteries," Ron said.

"No, don't you feel it?" Harry asked urgently. "It's like everything up until now has been a test, like Voldemort's just been playing with us. Nothing this big has ever happened so far. I think this is the first step in his larger plan. We're on our way to something much bigger and I feel that it's going to be one huge battle."

"Oh, I certainly hope you're wrong, Harry," Hermione looked very frightened.

"Someone, Hermione, I don't think I am."

Alex was the only one who hadn't said anything throughout the entire conversation. She just sat there the whole time, gazing into the fire. Her face was completely blank, void of any possible emotions. Her eyes, however, told a much different story, if anyone had bothered to look. Their depths were filled with anguish and confusion. If anyone had bothered to look, then they might have wondered why.

But no one had time to notice Alex's eyes, since there came a sound from the dual sets of stairs leading up to the dormitories. All four heads turned and saw four first years, two girls and two boys, standing together in a huddled clump at the bottom of the stairs.

"Ellen, Peter, Kayla, and Geoffrey, what are you doing down here?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Don't be mad, Hermione," Ellen spoke up for the rest of the group. "We were just…well, we were wondering if…could we maybe…"

"Would you like to join us?" Hermione smiled at the younger students. For a moment they looked stunned. It wasn't everyday first years got to sit with Harry Potter's group.

"Okay!" the four quickly scampered over to the fire area. The four seniors moved over to make room for them and soon everyone was quite comfortable.

"So little munchkins, what brings you downstairs?" Ron asked.

"We didn't want to stay upstairs," Peter shifted nervously. Ron looked at his friends and all four exchanged an amused yet worried glance.

"Really?"

"Is there anything wrong?" Hermione asked them.

"We wanted to make sure the girls were okay," Geoffrey answered immediately.

"Geoffrey!" Ellen hissed.

"Oww!" obviously Ellen gave Geoffrey a good discrete pinch.

"That's not true," Kayla finally spoke up, but there was a strange sort of quiver in her voice.

"We're worried," Peter said. "Is Natalie going to be okay?"

"I hope so," Hermione tried to sound reassuring.

"But is she going to be okay?" Alex nodded towards Kayla, who looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"I'll be fine," Kayla croaked.

"Kayla is Natalie's cousin," Ellen explained gently. "So it was her aunt and uncle who died today."

"Oh, Kayla, I'm so sorry," Hermione wrapped her arm around the miserable girl.

"It's okay Kayla, we won't leave you," Geoffrey insisted urgently as he took one of her hands in his. The gesture made the senior students share another significant glance. These four young ones were so much like them it was scary.

"Absolutely," Peter agreed. "It's one for all, and all for one."

"Thanks everyone," Kayla sniffed and tried to smile.

"You're lucky to have such good friends," Harry said.

"I know."

"Well, is there anything we can do for you?" Hermione asked.

"Actually…" Kayla hesitated slightly. "Could we just stay here for a while with you guys? I don't think any of us want to go back upstairs."

"I don't mind," Hermione shrugged, looking to the other three seventh years. They all shrugged in return. No one had the heart to send them away yet.

"Brilliant!" Peter exclaimed. "So what are we going to do?"

That was a good question. Harry, Ron and Alex didn't have a clue. Then Hermione just had to open her mouth and suggest it. "We could tell you some stories, if you want." Her friends looked at her like she had three heads.

So did the younger students.

"Please," Ellen rolled her eyes. "We're not little kids anymore. We're eleven, not five."

"Speak for yourself!" Geoffrey looked scandalized. "I'm twelve years old now, just one more year before I'm thirteen."

"Oh, excuse me," Ellen gasped in mock concern.

"Oh, come on," Hermione tried again. "Everyone likes to hear stories, no matter how old you are."

"Well, what do you have in mind?" Peter asked, trying hard not to appear too interested.

"Hum…let me think. Ah, I've got it! How'd you like to hear Sleeping Beauty?"

"What's that?" the four young ones looked a bit confused.

"You don't know Sleeping Beauty!" Hermione was completely shocked. "Oh, I'm so telling you this one. Okay, once upon a time there was this kingdom that was ruled by a nice king and queen. So one day…"

And Hermione started the story filled with romance and adventure. She had everyone's attention the whole time. All four boys didn't seem to like the mushy parts, but were more excited when Hermione got to the part when the prince fights the dragon. After a while she finally finished the story.

"That was so sweet," Ellen and Kayla sighed dreamily.

"Mmm, it was okay," Geoffrey shrugged.

"Well how about if I try one?" Ron suddenly suggested. All heads turned to look at him.

"You?" Harry tried hard not to laugh. "Tell a story? I'd like to hear this."

"Me too," Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"What's the story?" Peter asked.

"I'm going to tell the story of the end of our first year," there was a certain kind of confidence in Ron's voice.

"You mean our fiasco with the Philosopher's Stone!" Hermione squeaked.

"Yup!"

This really perked up the four young first years. They had heard bits and pieces of the Gryffindor Trio's adventures but never the full stories, and never from the Trio themselves. So Ron had no trouble grabbing their attention. Even Harry and Hermione were sort of interested. Everything had happened nearly six years ago, so they barely talked about it anymore.

"So there we were…" Ron was nearly finished. "…on the chess board, almost at the end of the game. That's when I looked at the remaining pieces and saw it."

"Saw what!" Ellen gasped.

"The opening we needed for a checkmate."

"Oooo…"

And all too soon, Ron abruptly ended the story with his fall off the knight.

"Well!" Geoffrey exclaimed.

"And that's it," Ron sat back into his seat.

"That can't be it!" Kayla cried.

"For me it is. I was knocked unconscious at that point. If you want the rest of the story, ask him," Ron waved his hand towards Harry.

"Oh, please, Harry! Please, please, please, please, please!" four sets of pleading, puppy dog eyes were fixed on Harry. Good Lord, how could anyone resist.

"Well…" could he do it? It's not like he had to tell the story of the Department of Mysteries. Maybe he could do this if would cheer up the kids. Harry looked to his friends for support. Three heads nodded for him to do it.

"Alright. Well, I had to leave Hermione with Ron. I knew I had to continue on alone…"

Harry surprised even himself at how easily he told the story. Of course, he did a teeny bit of editing for the sake of the first years. They didn't need to know the details of their conversation. But it was amazing just the same. They loved it! Hell, even Hermione and Ron loved it.

"Has it really been six years?" Hermione asked when he was done. "It's so strange; some days it seems like it was yesterday and other times it feels like a million years ago."

"And just think," Ron added. "We were the same age as these guys when it happened."

"Now don't go filling their heads with ideas, Ron," Hermione wagged her finger at him.

"Oh, don't worry," Geoffrey assured them. "We wouldn't dare. Besides, we wouldn't have the boy-who-lived on our team."

"Err, yeah," Harry shifted slightly in his spot. There was a slightly awkward moment as no one quite knew what to say. Of course, it didn't last too long when someone stated the inevitable…

"Hey, Alex never told us a story yet," Ellen pointed out. Again there were four chanting pleas for another tale.

Alex meanwhile, just looked incredulous. What were these kids thinking? Weren't they scared of her? "You want me to tell you a story!"

"YES!"

"Seriously, do you want to have nightmares tonight?" she asked them dangerously. "'Cause that's all you'll get if I end up telling you anything. Besides, I don't know any good stories."

"Oh, come on, Alex," Peter nearly begged. "Everyone else did."

"And if everyone else jumps off a bridge…" Alex muttered to herself.

"Why don't you, Alex?" Harry looked at her, a bit concerned. "You must know something you can tell. Or just make it up. It doesn't matter."

"Oh…fine! Just bloody fine!" Alex finally relented and the young ones cheered. "But you all asked for it. Don't come crying to me and Hermione when you wake up screaming. And I'm warning you now, it's really long. So here goes. This is story of the Lord of the Rings…"

As Alex suspected no one seemed to really recognize the name, except maybe Hermione. 'Probably because it's so old,' Alex smirked to herself.

This was going to be good.

Who knows how long Alex spent telling the story. No one really cared. The events of story slowly unfolded, and eventually Alex was up and out of her chair, acting out the various parts with passionate energy. The others were a wonderful audience, too. They laughed, clapped, cheered, gasped and cried in all the right places. It was fantastic. Too bad it had to end.

When it was over, no one could say anything for a few moments. Ellen's and Kayla's faces were laced with tears and Peter and Geoffrey were discreetly trying to wipe theirs away. Ron and Harry just sat there, completely stunned. Hermione looked highly impressed. Suddenly Geoffrey found her voice.

"That was bloody amazing!" he cried.

"That was the best story I ever heard!" Peter added.

"It was beautiful," Kayla said in an awed, hushed voice.

"I want to be an elf princess!" Ellen exclaimed. "If I can marry a ruggedly handsome man like Aragorn, then sign me up!"

"Anyway, maybe you four should be getting up to your rooms now," Alex took a glance around the room. "What time is it anyway?"

"10:00," Hermione raised her eyebrows with a smirk.

"WHAT!" Alex let out an uncharacteristic screech. "You mean I've been at this for about an hour and a half! Alright, that's it. You four up to bed. This is the last time you trick me into telling you a long story."

"But we're not tired," Peter said. "Especially not after a story like that."

"Like I really give a damn," Alex gestured to the staircases. "Scatter! Now!"

Not needing to be told twice, the four first years were gone in a wink, leaving the four seventh years behind.

"That really was an amazing story, Alex," Ron said. "You sure know how to tell it too."

"Yeah, well, I know it really well," Alex plopped herself back into her spot on the sofa.

"It must be one of your favorites," Hermione looked at her carefully. "My dad read it to me when I was younger."

"Yeah? That's nice," Alex suddenly was up in a flash again. "Err, you know I'm a little tired after all that storytelling. I think I'm going up to bed early. See you all later."

And before they could say anything else, she was already gone and away up the stairs. "There she goes again," Ron muttered.

"You know, I think I was getting close to something," Hermione said thoughtfully. "You realize that she gets all secretive whenever we get close to discussing her past."

"Sure, but there's nothing we can do," Harry looked towards the staircase with concern. "Not until she decides to talk to us. How many times have we been over this before?"

"Too many, I know," Ron rubbed his temples in circles.

"Well, then, it pointless doing it again," Harry sighed as he let his head fall back onto the sofa.

"Let's not worry about it," Hermione said. "Not after such an amazing story. You do realize that hardly anyone tells stories like that nowadays. We used to have wonderful spoken traditions, a long time ago. You know the Druids actually had to memorize all of their knowledge and customs. No wonder it took them years to become a Druid…"

"Alright, I'm tired now," Ron made a mad dash to the staircases. "See you tomorrow!"

"Honestly," Hermione huffed. "How could anyone find the history of the Druids boring?"

-----

**A/N:** Hey, please review.

**Next Chapter:** A possible DA comeback...and Alex needs to dish out some payback


	16. Revenge is Sweet

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews.

**Chapter 16 – Revenge is Sweet **

"Are you sure you're ready to do this, Harry?" Hermione asked carefully. "You're okay with it?"

"Well, it's not like I have much of a choice," Harry muttered.

Harry, Hermione, Alex, and Ron were sitting alone in an empty classroom, waiting for Harry's "students" to show up. Naturally, there had been lots of frightened students after the news of the Death Eater attack. Someone came up with the brilliant idea that the students should receive extra lessons in Defense Against the Dark Arts as a precaution. Who knows what would happen now, and many felt that they were unprepared.

"Hey, mate, these people just want the chance to defend themselves," Ron tried to reason with Harry, who was feeling very temperamental at the moment.

"Yeah, but why me? Why do I have to be their teacher?"

"Oh, Harry, you know the professors are helping as much as they can," Hermione said. "Mr. Callaghan has his hands full with the younger years. Seriously, though, I think you're even more qualified than him to teach DADA. You could be the professor for that class if you weren't still underage. Besides it'll be like two years ago, teaching the DA."

Harry couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought of their current DADA professor; Andrew Callaghan, a young Auror who was very intelligent but lacked any real-world experience. Unfortunately, he had been the only option for the position. Mad-Eye was a bit too busy with Order business and the general public wouldn't have allowed Remus to come back, even in such desperate times.

"Come on, Potter, let's cheer up a bit," Alex said. "After all, you'll get to boss people around. That should be barrels of fun."

"Sure," Harry snorted softly.

After a few minutes, other students started showing up for the session. It wasn't mandatory and it was only for fifth years and above, but there were still plenty of people interested. It was their chance to work with Harry Potter, and maybe even see a demonstration or two from him.

To Harry's annoyance, he saw Malfoy enter the room with Crabbe and Goyle in tow. The three imposing Slytherins sat down near the back in one of the corners. It was obvious that they didn't want to participate; they were there to see if Harry was going to make a fool of himself. Harry tried his best to ignore them as he turned to the forty or so people who had turned up.

"Okay, everyone," Harry said loudly to their attention. "I know that it's only been a week since the attacks, and that some people are still worried about them, but that's why we're here. We're going to practice some DADA. You will already know some of these spells, but that's not the point. Some of us haven't used these spells since we learned them, and others didn't learn them due to an evil and incompetent DADA professor from two years ago."

A few snickers rippled through the class as most caught the reference to Dolores Umbridge.

"So let's start with the basics," Harry said. "I want to see everyone pair up and work on your disarming spells."

Soon all the students were hard at work, except Malfoy and his gang, of course. Hermione and Ginny were working together, though neither were having any problems. Ron had paired up with Alex, who was being very patient with him when he occasionally missed. Harry circulated around the class, correcting people's progress as he traveled. He paused for a moment when he reached Neville and Luna.

"Good job, Neville," Harry nodded in approval. "I can definitely see an improvement from two years ago."

"Really?" Neville beamed with pride.

"Of course," Luna said absentmindedly. "I have to actually watch what you're doing here. At least his efforts are keeping away the Wrackspurts."

"Err, thanks…I think."

"Oh, you're quite welcome."

When Harry was satisfied with the progress of his students, he decided to switch things over to body binding charms. Everyone got a bunch of pillows from the corner and started practicing. Harry stopped by Hermione and Ginny for a moment.

"So, what do you think?" Harry asked them, gesturing to the rest of the group.

"Hmm…not too bad," Hermione replied. "I don't know, though. I still think people are a bit shaken up. I can really see potential in some of them. All they need is a bit of work."

"Maybe they need something else, too," Ginny looked deep in thought.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we're talking about how everyone is so frightened right now," Ginny explained. "Maybe that's exactly what we need. These are darks times, nothing's going to change that. Most of us will face our fears eventually and we need to be able to keep ourselves together."

"Face our fears…" Ginny's words echoed through Harry's mind. Suddenly, the answer came to him. "That's it! Ginny, you're brilliant, it's the perfect idea."

"Well, I know I'm brilliant, Harry," Ginny teased him. "But what's this perfect idea?"

"You'll see," Harry smiled secretively. "Alright, everyone! Good work, I think that'll be it for today. We'll pick this up tomorrow, same time, same place."

-----

As much as they tried, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Alex couldn't get Harry to talk about the secret plan. He refused to reveal what it was. To make matters worse, they knew Harry had gone to visit Dumbledore about something. Of course, they had no idea why, but they suspected it had something to do with the plan.

So they were especially anxious when they assembled together the next day for the second session. They quickly noticed the trunk that was placed near the front of the classroom. Harry stood casually beside it. This had to be it, this must be the surprise!

"Welcome back," Harry spoke up as soon as everyone was present. "Now, we're going to take a slightly different angle for this session. We're still going to work on a spell, but we'll also be focusing on something else, something very important."

Harry scanned the room and looked critically at his students. He skipped over Malfoy and company, who showed up again.

"Now," Harry continued on. "All of you, especially those who I worked with two years ago, know that practicing spells in a classroom is much different from real life. There are many other factors out there in the real world. Sometimes you have to improvise, other times there are distractions. It's awfully hard to duel when there's fighting going on all around you. Sometimes you may find yourself looking out for someone else. That's a really big distraction. But there's one thing I haven't mentioned, and it may be the biggest distraction of all: yourself."

Malfoy shot Crabbe and Goyle an uninterested glance, complete with rolling eyes.

"Some of you might not understand this," Harry said. "But when you're out there in a duel, your own thoughts can be your worst enemy. That's when you can doubt yourself and hesitate, which is very dangerous because you can get yourself killed that way. Sometimes you might be frozen with fear. That's what I want to concentrate on today."

Ron and Hermione exchanged a quick glance. He wouldn't do what they were thinking, would he?

"Your fears are very important. It's good to know what they are so that you can work on overcoming them. You want to control your fears, not the other way around. You don't want someone to use them against you, or let them affect you when you're in a fight. Today, I have a special treat for you. We're going to conquer our fears."

Oh, Lord, he is going to do it.

Harry reached over and patted the top of the trunk. "Those of you older students should already know what's in here by now. For those of you who don't know, I have a boggart locked away in this trunk." Several students gasped out loud.

"I know it may seem a little extreme, but this is the best way to face your fears, in my opinion," Harry explained. "Now I want everybody here to take a shot at the boggart and try to make it change into something funny."

Most students looked very nervous as they lined up along one of walls. Alex, though, barely even moved from where she had been sitting with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Although the expression on Alex's face remained neutral, the color of it was a deadly white.

"Alex?" Harry asked with concern. "What's wrong?"

"I…" Alex forced the words out of her mouth. "I don't think I'll be participating today."

"It's okay, Alex," Ginny tried encouraging her. "Everyone's a little nervous. We'll all be revealing our fears."

"No," Alex said firmly. "I won't. I'll just sit at the back."

Before anyone could say anything else, Alex turned around and made for the back corner of the room, opposite the back corner from Malfoy and his lackeys. They sneered at her as she sat down, but she refused to look at them.

"Alright," Harry got into position. "Here's how we'll do it. One person at a time will step up in front of the trunk. When the boggart changes into your fear, think of something funny, then shout '_Riddikulus_!' This will make the boggart change. Then the next person can go, and so on and so forth. Now, I don't know how long this boggart will last against so many people, but we'll just have to see."

The first person, a sixth year, stepped out the line. He nodded to Harry, who carefully lifted the lid of the trunk and quickly stood out of the way. To the horror of most people present, a rather larger snake slithered out from inside the trunk. The student stared at the snake for a second before finally collecting himself together.

"_Riddikulus_!" he shouted, and the snake suddenly twisted around into an odd sort of balloon animal.

"Next!" Harry shouted. Another student stepped forward, as the first one went to the opposite side of the room. The new seventh year girl gasped as the balloon animal turned into a snarling grizzly bear. She bravely held her ground and tried to speak out loud and clear.

"_Riddikulus_!" the large grizzly bear was suddenly replaced by smaller teddy bear. Several people laughed at the sight.

"Next!"

So the process continued for a few more people. Ginny finally stepped up and the boggart turned into a fairly good looking young man. The scariest part, though, was the expression on his face, which was so cold and harsh. Many obviously didn't know who he was, and only two people in the room were able to recognize him. Ginny blanched at sight of him, and despite herself, took one step back away from him.

Harry, on the other hand, looked thoroughly disgusted. This was the last person he wanted to see. Harry had to remind himself that the person wasn't real. Otherwise, he probably would have raised his wand to him by now.

Somehow, it didn't really surprise Harry that Ginny's boggart would be Tom Riddle.

"_Riddikulus_!" Ginny cried with determination. Suddenly Tom was doing a very bad version of disco dancing. Harry chuckled softly to himself.

A fifth year girl stepped forward for her turn. Tom had now changed into a demented looking circus clown. It was holding a bundle of colorful balloons. The girl paused for a second, then cried out, "_Riddikulus_!" The clown's balloons started going crazy. Some started exploding, while others were letting out air and swirling around the clown. Suddenly the swirling balloons went flying around the room. One balloon flew towards the back of the room, straight towards Alex.

That's when everything seemed to move in slow motion.

The balloon settled on the floor before Alex. No one knew why it landed there. Maybe the boggart felt a large amount of fear coming from her. Alex looked like she was frozen to her spot. Then the boggart started to change again.

In the blink of an eye, before anyone else knew what was happening, Alex had her wand in her hand and had it pointed at the boggart. It didn't even have a chance to finish its transformation.

"HHHAAAA!" Alex let out an earth shattering scream, a bizarre combination of a shout and a laugh. The boggart suddenly blew up into hundreds of tiny pieces.

The room was totally and completely silent after that, except the sound of Alex's deep breaths. No one dared move as they tried to figure out what just happened. They just stared at Alex, whose eyes were filled with a dangerous fire.

"Alex…" Harry bravely tried to speak to her.

"Don't," Alex hissed, then she spun around and ran out of the room.

-----

No one really knew what happened that day in Harry's defense class. Harry himself had decided to run after Alex, only to find that she refused to talk about the whole thing. Typical Alex.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were once again willing to put it all behind them and forget it, but others were not so courteous. Malfoy and his gang chose to use the incident against Alex, much like they often did to Harry.

"Hey, Reid!" Malfoy called out to her one day in the Great Hall. "Make anything else explode today?" That earned him several laughs from the Slytherin table.

"Just ignore him," Hermione said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, don't worry, I will," Alex glared at him. "He's not worth my time."

Apparently, though, Malfoy wasn't quite finished with her. Something must have been in the water that week, either that or Malfoy finally decided to be creative in dealing with his enemies. About a week after the incident in defense class, another incident occurred in Potions class…or just before Potions class.

For some odd reason, Malfoy and company decided to show up early for Potions class one day. That in itself should have been fair warning that something bad was about to happen. Then the Gryffindor quartet came through the door. It was Malfoy's lucky day; Alex was the last to come into the classroom.

But just as she passed though the door, a huge pile of green goo was dumped out of an invisible bucket that was hanging above the doorway. Alex was standing directly in its path.

A collective gasp echoed through the classroom, as Alex was quickly covered in the green mess. Snape, who had just entered the classroom from his office area, also saw the entire thing. Even he was frozen in astonishment.

Alex didn't move at first. She didn't shout or cry out, though some thought they saw her gasp in surprise as it happened. She was probably trying to gather herself together before doing anything else. In reality, Alex was trying to calm herself down. She knew who was responsible for this. It could only be one person, but she was not going to give him any satisfaction.

Ever so delicately, Alex reached up wiped some goo out of her eyes so she could see. And with all the calm in the world, she looked straight at Professor Snape.

"Professor," she said in a strange, innocent tone. "I seem to have a small mess here. I think I should go get it cleaned up."

"Agreed," Snape replied in an awed tone.

What! Many of the Gryffindors turned to stare at Snape. He wasn't going to blame the whole thing on Alex? He wasn't going to take points off Gryffindor for making a mess? Apparently not.

Alex carefully shuffled her way out of the classroom, while Malfoy and his gang tried the best they could to stifle their snorts of laughter. Some would swear later that they saw Snape quickly glare at the three young men before he abruptly started the day's lesson. Alex didn't come back to class, and many didn't blame her.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were finally able to catch up to her after class. They were on their way to Charms when they saw her walking the other way. She was nice and clean again.

"Alex?" Harry called out to her, but she kept on going.

"Sorry, Potter, can't stop to chat," Alex replied over her shoulder. "I'm on a mission before Charms so I have to hurry."

"A mission?" Hermione asked the others with a puzzled look. "What does she mean by that?"

"I'm hoping she means payback," Ron thought out loud. "If anyone in the school could get to Malfoy, it would be Alex. I hope she nails him, the bloody bugger…and I mean that in a pranking sort of way."

Meanwhile, Alex found who she was looking for in a crowd of sixth years. "Oi, Creevey!" she bellowed out to Colin, the eldest of the Creevey brothers. Colin turned around and spotted her, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw who it was. Sure, Alex Reid was a friend of Harry Potter, but she was still kind of spooky, especially after what had happened with the boggart.

"Oh, hi!" his voice nearly squeaked. "All right, Alex?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Alex waved her hand dismissively, wanting to get straight to the point. "I need a favour, Creevey. I was hoping you could give me a hand with something."

"S-sure, anything."

"Excellent. Here's what I'm planning on doing..."

-----

The next morning at breakfast, everyone was sitting around their house tables when the owls came soaring in with letters and packages.

"Watch this," Alex whispered to Harry, Ron and Hermione. She looked over her shoulder and seemed to be glancing at the Slytherin table. The others curiously followed her gaze and noticed that an owl had landed in front of Malfoy. The most surprising thing about it was it actually looked like one of the school owls, and not some fancier owl that might have belonged to the Malfoy family.

With a slight frown on his face, Malfoy carelessly removed the letter attached to the owl's leg. He tore open the envelop and pulled out a small piece of parchment. His eyes scanned the note and his frown deepened. When he peered cautiously back into the envelop, Malfoy's eyes grew wide with shock and alarm. That's when his head snapped up and he glared harshly in their direction.

"What was in that letter?" Harry was almost scared to ask.

"Oh, nothing much," Alex shrugged. "I just borrowed Creevey's camera, and with a little help from your favourite house elf, I got some classic shower shots of our dear Malfoy. Now I finally have proof to show how small he really is. I sent him his own copies plus a note telling him that I have the originals. If he ever does anything to annoy us again, I'll post the pictures all over the school."

And just to piss him off even more, Alex sent him a goofy grin and a cute little wave, twiddling her fingers at him.

Having had enough, Malfoy stood quickly and stormed out of the Great Hall, taking the entire contents of the envelop with him. He was no doubt on his way to destroy the evidence.

"This is too wonderful," Ron beamed happily. "Malfoy finally got what he deserved."

"Exactly," Alex calmly turned around and returned to her breakfast.

"Maybe he'll understand that no one messes with me and gets away with it."

-----

**A/N:** Tell me what you think. I'm not a mind-reader. Please review!

**Next Chapter:** Hogwarts is having a dance to ease the growing tension...maybe not such a good idea...


	17. Prelude to Hell

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews.

**Chapter 17 – Prelude to Hell**

It was the week after the "Draco Wars" and everything had returned to normal…well, almost. Emotions were still running high, especially after news of another Death Eater attack reached Hogwarts. The entire school seemed on edge. Teachers and students were frazzled and tired over lack of sleep. Something had to be done but a certain someone was already concocting a plan…

One late evening, Harry and Alex were sitting around the common room doing homework. They heard the entrance open and both looked up to see Hermione, Ron and Ginny returning from a Prefect meeting. The three newcomers gladly plopped down next to their two friends. Something was up. All three had extremely sour looks on their faces.

"Alright…" Alex asked them. "What's with the 'I-just-sucked-on-a-lemon' look?"

"It's Dumbledore," Ginny got straight to the point. "For some reason, he has this mad idea in his head that we should have a dance; a ball. It's supposed to relieve all the stress we're feeling right now."

In an instant, Harry and Alex both wore similar expressions. A ball!

Now there was an absolute, 100 certainty that the four original Gryffindors were vividly remembering the disaster from three years ago that disguised itself as a dance. Oh yeah, required dance partners, jealous dates, famous Quidditch stars, unrequited crushes…good times, mate, good times.

No one knew why Alex shared their glare, but they didn't care. They had their own bad memories to worry about.

"Oh, and that's not all," Ron voice rose slightly in pitch. "Dumbledore would like all the Prefects and the Head Boy and Head Girl to do the first dance!"

"But that's you guys," Harry said lamely, referring to Ron and Hermione, and Ginny, who was a sixth year Gryffindor Prefect.

"Yeah!" Ron exclaimed, now his voice was nearly cracking. "So you know what that means, huh? That means we have to find a dancing partner, otherwise known as a DATE! Harry, mate, I don't know how you did it last time, dancing in front of everyone."

"Oh this is just wonderful!" Harry muttered.

"Tell me about it," Hermione almost hissed in annoyance. It was official.

They were totally screwed.

-----

As it turned out, the five Gryffindors chose to handle the situation the best way they could: with procrastination. For the next few days they completely avoided the topic. Then one day, Ron surprisingly took the initiative and brought the subject up as the five of them sat around the library on a slow Saturday afternoon.

"Alright, people, here's the thing," Ron leaned in and spoke in a serious tone. "This situation is not going away and it's only going to get worse if we leave it alone. I think we just need to suck it up and make a choice. Three of us have to have dates anyway and do we really want to wait until the last minute?"

Everyone unanimously agreed that that would be another disaster waiting to happen.

"So what are we going to do?" Harry asked, looking around the group. "Ron suggested last time that we stick together but things are different now…"

The others knew exactly what he was implying. Any simple person could see that their group currently had two males and three females. They had one too many girls. No one said anything as they anxiously glanced at each other. What were they going to do? Alex saw how conflicted everyone looked, so she immediately decided to end the dilemma.

"It's okay," she said, drawing all attention to herself. "It won't be a problem because I won't be going."

"What?" Ginny looked confused. "Why not? Don't you want to come at all?"

"Actually, dances aren't my thing," now that she thought about it, Alex was really glad that she had an excuse not to go. It was the perfect reason to get out of it. Now the remaining four didn't know what to think. They all exchanged worried glances. Dare they go with the same pairs Ron had suggest three years ago; Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione?

But in the end, no one had the guts to bring it up. Ginny and Ron would never dare, Hermione would demand that her date ask her to go in a proper manner, and Harry, for some reason or another, thought that maybe he would like to go with someone else.

-----

A few nights later, Ginny found herself sitting by herself in a corner of the common room. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice when Hermione came over to join her.

"Oh, hey Hermione," Ginny gestured to an empty seat at the table.

"A lot on your mind right now?" Hermione asked.

"I suppose," Ginny answered vaguely, which only made Hermione smile.

"Thinking about a certain person we'd like to go with to the dance?" Hermione had a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

"No!" Ginny exclaimed as her eyes grew wide.

"Oh, come on Ginny," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why not go with Harry? Sure he's not the best dancer in the world but I know that you probably wouldn't mind going with him. Didn't you want to go with him last time?"

Ginny thought long and hard about that last question. Of course she had wanted to go with him to the ball three years go. But when it came to Harry, things were never that simple. He had never asked her and hadn't even thought about it before Ron suggested it. By that time Neville had already asked her.

Poor Neville. Ginny had never really wanted to go with him to the dance but she figured she didn't have any change in the world of going with Harry. Then it happened; she had the perfect opening with he and Ron were desperate for dates. Ginny could have cried then, she was so upset. But in the end, how enjoyable would it have been anyway. Everyone knew that Harry fancied Cho back then, and he still would have been pining over her. Ginny could never figure that one out. Cho was such a whiney girly-girl.

"That was three years ago, Hermione," Ginny shifted nervously in her seat. "Things have changed since then. New people are in the picture now."

"So?" Hermione shrugged as if it didn't matter.

"So I'm talking about Alex," Ginny said. "I don't know why Harry hasn't asked her to the dance already. I can tell that he likes her. He's always worried about her, ever since the beginning."

"That's true," Hermione admitted. "But as far as I know, he hasn't said anything to me or Ron. Then again, this is Harry we're talking about. He's not exactly an open book when it comes to his thoughts and feelings."

"Tell me about it," Ginny sighed. "Look, even if he hasn't talked about it, I think I know him almost as well as you and Ron. You don't know how much time I spent observing him over the years."

"Ginny!" Hermione looked positively scandalized. "You aren't becoming a stalker, are you?"

"Of course not!" Ginny flushed as she tried to explain herself. "That was back when I still had a crush on him. And even then, it was just a few subtle glances here and there. Besides, don't tell me that you haven't ever looked at someone before because you thought they were cute."

"Can't say that I have," Hermione replied with a perfectly straight face.

"Yeah, right," Ginny snorted. "Anyway, Harry only thinks of me as a friend. I'll always be little Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister."

"So that's just it?" Hermione asked. "You're just giving up on him?"

"I wouldn't call it giving up," Ginny said slowly. How could she explain it? How could she explain how hard it was to forget your first crush? "I think this is me moving on. The realistic part of me is saying that nothing will ever happen so I should just get on with my life. I suppose in some ways that's why I went through all those boyfriends during the past few years."

"I noticed that," Hermione said. "But you aren't with anyone now, right?"

"Yeah, I sort of needed a break," Ginny replied. "Everything seemed so trivial after a while. And it actually feels nice to be single for a change. I swear, men complain about women in relationships but they can be just as bad, especially when they're still hormonal teenagers."

"Looks like we're in the same boat then," Hermione gave Ginny a soft smile. Sure, Hermione had had her own small experiences with guys (cough Krum!) She knew all about trying to stay friends with a guy who wanted to go out with her. But before Hermione could get lost in her own thoughts, Ginny had a sudden idea.

"Hey there," Ginny had an indignant look etched on her face. "Why are we only talking about me? What about you Miss Granger? Why don't you go to the dance with Ron?"

Uh-oh, now the tables were turned! Hermione's felt her jaw drop open as Ginny's question completely caught her off guard. "What are you going on about?" she asked. "Why would I want to go with your brother? It's not like I fancy him or anything."

"Really?" Ginny looked skeptically at her older friend.

"I don't, honestly," Hermione shook her head. Where did Ginny get these ideas? She did not like Ron. Period. They were only good friends. "Seriously, though, there's nothing going on between us. I hate to disappoint you Ginny, but you're absolutely wrong."

Ginny almost didn't know what to say. Hermione looked and sounded like she really meant what she was saying. Either she was telling the truth or this girl had one terrible case of denial. "So who's going to be your partner at the dance, then?" Ginny challenged her.

Oh, another difficult question. Hermione tried to think of someone else but nothing seemed to fit. She couldn't picture herself going with anybody else, even if he was someone in Gryffindor like Neville, Dean, or Seamus. Besides, she'd probably end up spending most of her time with Harry, Ron, and Ginny anyway…and Alex if they could convince her to go. If only she had an actual boyfriend, then she wouldn't be in this mess. Hermione sighed in exasperation.

Why do relationships have to be so complicated?

-----

Ron was slowly making his way to a Prefect meeting but his mind was totally on another planet.

Why do relationships have to be so complicated?

He was certainly not paying any attention to anything around him, so he nearly jumped out of his skin when Alex was suddenly walking beside him, stride for stride.

"We need to talk," Alex said as she grabbed his arm, and without missing a beat she guided them into an empty classroom. Once they were safely inside she let go and turned to face him. '_Please let this work_,' she thought to herself. '_Everything depends on this_.'

"Alex!" Ron was clearly confused. "What the bloody hell are you doing? I have to be at a Prefect meeting in ten minutes or else Hermione will kill me herself!"

"Don't worry about that right now," Alex said urgently. "I actually wanted to talk to you about her. You still don't have a partner for the dance, right? Why didn't you ask her, then?"

"Have you gone completely insane?" Ron asked bluntly. "You really think I'm going to ask Miss "I-Must-Be-Asked-Properly-Or-Not-At-All"?"

"Oh, is that your only problem?" Alex waved her hand dismissively in the air. "That's easy. Just don't be a complete idiot when you ask her, be polite, and make sure that you _ask_ instead of telling her that she must."

"I…you…I can't…now wait a minute!" Ron glared at her. "That's easy for you to say; you claim you're not going. Hermione is my friend. I don't know if I want to go with a friend."

"Fine," Alex shrugged. "Then go with someone else. Pick anyone else and see how comfortable your evening will be. Think about it Weasley, how will you enjoy dancing with some stuck up she-devil who'll just make fun of you and your dancing skills. Still, if that's what you want, then I'm in no position to stop you. It's your funeral."

"What do you want?" Ron looked at her suspiciously.

"I want everything to work out for you guys!" Alex exclaimed. "Take a good look at yourself and your friends. You're all avoiding the issue like it's the plague or something. One of you has to do something quickly before someone else comes along and asks one of you guys to this deadly fiesta."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Ron asked her. He honestly didn't know how to proceed. He and Hermione got so mad at each other last time, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why she had been so upset. Hermione was one of his best friends, but sometimes he just didn't get her.

"I already told you: ask her, don't tell her," Alex explained slowly. "She'll appreciate it if you give her the option. What else do you have to lose? You'll all be hanging out together anyway, won't you?"

Alex did have a valid point. And extra dancing partners would only make their group more crowded. "I suppose I can give it a try," Ron said. "I could always talk to her right after the meeting. We usually stay behind afterwards to finalize things for our next meeting."

"Excellent," Alex nodded in approval. "I would highly recommend it. The sooner the better, in my opinion."

"Well your opinion had better not get me into a bloody mess," Ron warned.

"Trust me it won't," Alex spun around to leave the classroom. As she passed through the door, she shouted back to him over her shoulder. "Be a gentleman, Weasley. Be a gentleman."

"A gentleman!" Ron shook his head as he exited the room as well. "That'll be the day."

-----

The Prefect meeting was pretty uneventful. They discussed the upcoming dance and a few other topics. The Head Girl, however, noticed that the Head Boy was somewhat distracted during the entire meeting. She wondered what it was that was making him so "spaced out" and made a mental note to talk to him afterwards.

Soon afterwards came, and all the other Prefects left the room as usual. Hermione and Ron turned and faced each other at the same time.

"We need to talk," they both said in unison. For a split second, they just stared at each other. '_Why would he/she want to talk_?' they both thought.

"You go first," Ron offered. '_Must be polite, must be polite_.'

"Alright…" Hermione said uncertainly. "I was only worried about you. You couldn't seem to stay focus during the meeting and I was wondering if you were feeling okay."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Ron tried his best to look casual. "I was thinking that…well you know the dance is coming up and…well, maybe we should…I mean if you think it'd be a good idea…"

"Ron, what are you trying to say?" Hermione looked at him strangely.

"Hermione," okay, it was now or never. "Would you like to go to the dance with me?"

Nothing. Hermione wondered if she heard him correctly. Did he, Ronald Weasley, ask _her_ to a dance? Ron quickly became unnerved at her silence, believing that she was too repulsed to speak.

"I mean, I was thinking that it'd be real easy, since we're Head Boy and Girl," he stumbled on. "We have to find a dancing partner anyway, so we could go just go together, as friends. That is…if aren't going with anyone else yet. I'd completely understand if you already have a partner, I just thought I'd mention it just in case…"

"Ron," Hermione gently interrupted him so that she could hear herself think. "You surprised me, that's all. And no, I don't already have a partner, but since you're asking I guess we can go together. It makes sense like you said. We'll all probably stick together anyway."

Ron had to keep his jaw from dropping. What it really this easy? "Err, you haven't talked to Alex lately, have you?"

"No, why?"

"Oh, no reason," there was no way he was messing this up now.

-----

'_One pair down, one more pair to go_,' Alex thought to herself the next day.

They all knew by now that Ron had asked Hermione to the dance; they meaning the entire school. Hogwarts was certainly not the best school for keeping secrets.

Several Gryffindors, Harry, Hermione, Alex, Ron, and Neville, were on their way to their next class, when they suddenly came across a small group of Slytherins.

"Well, well, look who it is," Malfoy sneered. "Rumour has it that Weasel here actually had the nerve to ask Granger to the dance. Can't imagine why, though. Who would ever want to go to a dance with a thing like that," Malfoy nodded his head in Hermione's direction.

"Hey!" Harry, Ron, and Neville shouted simultaneously.

"Don't be so revolting, Malfoy," Hermione scowled in return.

"Oh, your words hurt me," Malfoy put a hand over his heart. Then his attention suddenly turned to his other favorite target. "So, Longbottom, have you found a girl who would dare go to the dance with you? Can't imagine that, though. No girl in Hogwarts is that desperate."

The other Gryffindors could only watch as Neville tried his best to keep a straight face. They knew that he had come a long way from being the shy, timid boy he was back in first year, though there was only so much ridicule he could handle. Malfoy's comments ripped away at his fragile self-esteem. Neville never really had much luck with girls and everyone knew it. Malfoy, unfortunately, used that knowledge to hurt him.

Neville's friends were all thinking of different ways to defend him. But as their smart retorts came to the tip of their tongues, one retort came out loud and clear before all the others.

"Of course he has a date."

All heads turned in unison to stare at Alex, whose face looked flushed and angry.

"Who?" Malfoy blinked at her.

"Me," Alex replied with complete seriousness.

"You have got to be joking," Malfoy quickly recovered himself and sneered at her.

"I don't think so," Alex took a step closer towards him. "Now you'd better get out of my face right now, Malfoy, before I pound you into the ground."

"Sure, whatever," Malfoy laughed as he turned around and left, while all the Gryffindors were still staring blankly at Alex. She turned to them with a huff.

"What?" she asked them, like nothing at all was wrong.

"I thought you weren't going to the dance," Harry looked very confused, and maybe even a little hurt.

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind," Alex glanced at Neville. "So how 'bout it, Longbottom?"

"That's alright," Neville replied softly. "You don't have to go with me. I know you just said it to get at Malfoy."

"Nah, it's okay," Alex waved her hand in the air. "We'll go. We'll all be there together."

"Okay," Neville was still a little uncertain about it all, but hey, why not go with it? Now that he thought about it, it could be worse. He might have no date at all, and Alex was kind of pretty…albeit a bit insane at times…

So the Gryffindors continued on their way to class. As they began to walk away, the consequences of her actions finally caught up to Alex. She nearly stopped in the middle of the hallway.

'_Oh, crap, what have I done now_?'

-----

**A/N:** I like feedback, people. Please review.

**Next Chapter:** The ball...what more can I say...drama, anyone?


	18. Quidditch Before Hell

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. I made a small mistake in my preview for this chapter. The dance is actually in the next chapter, which will be out in about nine or ten days. I'm going to Cape Breton for a week, and while it's a beautiful place there is very little tv access, no computer access and cell phones don't even work where I go. Yeah, it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. At least there's a beach!

**Chapter 18 – Quidditch Before Hell **

Who ever knew that preparing for a dance and finding dates for a dance would be so stressful? Harry and Ginny still didn't have dates, despite the obvious solution that they could go together. Everyone was feeling moody. And so our favorite students found themselves sitting anxiously in the Gryffindor common room one fine spring afternoon.

"We seriously need to do something here," Ron fidgeted in his chair.

"I agree," Hermione said. "It's rather ironic, isn't it? Dumbledore organizes this dance to take our minds off the fighting and now it's the only thing on our minds. If I have to plan or discuss one more thing for this dance, I think I'm going to scream."

"Any suggestions?" Harry asked. Ginny and Alex, who were also present, just shrugged their shoulders in helplessness.

"We could go outside," Ginny said. "It's kind of nice out there."

"I know what we could do!" Ron exclaimed. "We could grab our brooms and play some Quidditch!"

"I think for once I really wouldn't mind watching you guys play," Hermione admitted. "Anything would be better than nothing at all."

"So how are we going to do this?" Ginny looked around the group. "We'd have an odd number of players…unless you wanted to play too, Alex."

All heads turned to look at Alex, who seemed very hesitant about the idea. Harry couldn't help remember that night on Valentine's Day, all those weeks ago. He clearly recalled the way Alex pulled him away from the balcony's edge. Maybe she really did have a fear of heights.

Suddenly their eyes met, and Alex saw the concern deep in Harry's gaze. "She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to," Harry gave her an open opportunity to back out.

"What do you mean?" Ron looked at them like they were insane. "No one has a…a custom made Sun Flare broom just for show."

"A Solar Flare," Alex corrected him.

"Okay, Solar Flare," Ron continued. "A broom like that needs to be used. It would be a crime not to."

"Ron does have a point, though," Ginny said. "It is a lovely broom. I would love to see how it flies."

"Exactly! You have no other choice, Alex. Join us or be punished for breaking the sacred Quidditch Code."

"Alright," Alex rolled her eyes in agreement. "Count me in."

It took only a few minutes for Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Alex to grab their brooms and race outside to the Quidditch pitch. Once they were there, and Hermione was sitting comfortably off to the side, they talked about teams.

"Look, we should probably do two on two, obviously," Harry said. "And to keep it fair we could have a girl and guy on each team."

"Hold it," both Ginny and Alex opened their mouths in protest, but Alex was quicker. "I did not just hear you say that. Tell me I misunderstood you."

"Err…sorry," Harry blushed. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I just didn't know if you used to play a lot or what your skill level is like. And it seemed nice and even to me; you know, boy-girl, boy-girl."

"It's too late for apologies, Potter," Alex said.

"Exactly," Ginny jumped in. "This game is now going to be women against men. Potter and Weasley vs. Weasley and Reid."

Both boys were slightly unnerved by the predatory grins on the girl's faces. "But that's not fair," Ron gulped.

"Yeah, for you," Alex replied with total confidence.

The four players took to the sky, after Ron was finally finished complaining ("But Ginny's a Chaser anyway! You girls already have that advantage.") Harry, Ron and Ginny discreetly watched Alex as she began to soar around the pitch. Her flying was fairly smooth and calm, but it was the expression on her face that really caught their eye. Her hair was pulled back out of her face and for a brief moment she closed her eyes, like she was relishing the wind blowing in her face. She looked like a flyer who hadn't been on a broom in ages.

"Alright, let's play," Harry said, drawing everyone's attention. "Ron and I will try to score in these hoops, Ginny and Alex will go for the hoops on the other side. How long do we play for?"

"At least an hour," Ginny replied.

"Fine, then. Highest score at the end of the hour wins. One point per shot. Let's get started."

Hermione threw the Quaffle out onto the pitch from the edge of the stands. Ginny and Ron immediately dove for it simultaneously, as Harry and Alex both held back in defensive positions. Ginny managed to reach the Quaffle first before it touched the ground. She was off in an instant towards her assigned hoops, with Ron right behind her. Ron, though, was not used to the Chaser position like Ginny was, so he had no luck in stopping her before she reached the hoops. The Quaffle flew easily through, marking the first point of the game.

"I let you have that one!" Ron called out as he retrieved the Quaffle. He came back down the pitch, and soon tossed it to Harry since Ginny was closing in on him. Harry turned to see that Alex had positioned herself directly in front of his hoops. He threw the Quaffle anyway, but without much force. Alex darted after it and quickly caught it, denying the boys their first point.

Alex started making her way down the pitch and made a safe and easy toss to Ginny. Ginny, who was blocked by Ron, threw it back to Alex. She turned and made a simple underhand toss to earn the girls their second point.

"Harry, mate, what's going on?" Ron exclaimed. "Where were you? Why weren't you guarding the hoops or something?"

"I don't know, Ron," Harry looked slightly irritated. "Sorry if I'm not putting all my effort into this game."

"Oh, come on Harry, I know you can do better," Ginny added. "And Alex, I think I'm going to fall asleep by the end of this game. It's so safe and boring! We need to pick up the pace!"

"I'm doing the best I can," Alex also seemed irritated by the sibling's verbal attack.

"Just let her be, Ginny. She's probably afraid," Ron said, trying to look very casual. "This is probably her first time playing Quidditch. I'll bet she can't do it very well, either."

Alex just stared at him for a second. "Are you trying to reverse psych me?" she asked him in amazement.

"That depends," Ron glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Is it working?"

"I don't believe you," Alex let out a laugh as she looked at Harry, who shifted slightly under her gaze. Her smile slowly disappeared as she continued to study him. "And you…you're holding back!"

"I am not," Harry tried to sound convincing.

"Yes you are, and you're doing it because of me!" Alex said. "So Weasleys , it looks like you got your wish. From this point on, everyone plays full out. You want a Quidditch game? Now you're going to get one."

Before anyone could say anything, Alex was off like a bullet towards the fallen Quaffle. She returned with it and hurled it at Harry, who nearly had the wind knocked out of him as it collided with his stomach. But before he could react, Alex was in front of him in the blink of an eye.

"I'll take that, thank you," she said as she plucked the Quaffle away from a confused Harry. Without even looking, Alex tossed it over her shoulder into Ginny's waiting hands. Ginny promptly scored their third point. "Do try and keep up, Potter," Alex called to him before taking off after a petrified Ron, who was currently in possession of the Quaffle. Harry stared after her blankly for another second, then slowly started to smile.

This was going to be fun.

Hermione had never seen such a game in her life. Harry and Alex battled for dominance out on the pitch. Both were trying to outplay each other. There were times when both of them looked like blurs of color, they were traveling so fast. What was also remarkable was how Alex and Ginny played together. One would almost swear that they shared the same mind. They would zigzag their way down the pitch, their moves perfectly synchronized. They knew exactly when to pass the Quaffle to each other and the other was always there to catch it. Yes, Hermione had never seen such a game.

It was hard to imagine that there was someone out there as fast as Harry Potter. Harry had always been, without a doubt, the fastest Quidditch player at Hogwarts. But now his title seemed to be in jeopardy. Alex was also a far more risky player. Safety be damned, she flew like there were no boundaries. If Harry or Ron held onto the Quaffle for too long, then Alex would fly straight at them like an arrow. She would refuse to change her course until the Quaffle was thrown away, then she would instantly change direction and grab it before it reached its intended recipient. Alex did this to Harry once and he swore that he could feel the twigs of her broom brush his face, she came that close.

As the hour was almost half over, other students who were also outside began to notice the spectacular game that was going on over at the pitch. Soon Hermione wasn't the only spectator sitting in the stands. A small crowd of about thirty people were there to cheer on the four players. All of a sudden, there were two more people on brooms who were in the air.

"Oi, Harry!" Andrew Kirke called, causing the players to slow down a bit to look in his direction.

"Hey, Andrew," Harry also saw Jack Sloper hovering beside him. Andrew and Jack were the Beaters for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"I didn't know you had scheduled a practice this afternoon."

"I didn't," Harry shrugged.

"I see…can we join you? We'd just use one Bludger."

Harry glanced over to the other, who all just shrugged in response. "Alright, they're in the chest at the bottom of the stands. You'd better make it quick, we've only got…err…"

"Twenty five minutes left!" Hermione called from her seat.

"Twenty five minutes, then."

"Wicked!" Andrew and Jack were off in a flash to get the Bludger. Soon it was flying wildly around the pitch.

The introduction of the Bludger didn't really affect the performance of the players too much. Harry and Alex just had to lean over to the side whenever they heard the Bludger coming. Ron and Ginny were also fairly used to them after playing so much Quidditch over the years. So the game continued on, as intense as it had been before.

During the last few minutes of the game, Alex began to bring it down a bit. She flew a bit slower and started to take in the details she had missed from playing so intensely the entire time. Her gaze finally landed on Harry.

Hermione was eagerly counting down the last few minutes of the match, when she suddenly looked up and noticed a strange thing. There was Alex, who had come to a complete stop on her broom. The other five players hadn't noticed her yet; they were too immersed in the game. Hermione also noticed that Alex wasn't just looking at anything; she was looking directly at Harry. It seemed like she was following his every move with wide, unblinking eyes…

A sickening jolt of deja-vu ripped through Hermione's stomach. Unblinking eyes. Professor Quirrell. Six years ago. Then, to Hermione's horror, she thought she could see Alex move her lips. Hermione jumped up in her seat and was ready to whip out her wand when she heard a male voice scream.

"Alex!"

Alex snapped herself out of her trance-like state but it was too late. The Bludger came from behind and collided with the back of her head, sending her over the front of her broom and into a fifty foot fall towards the ground.

-----

Lucky was the only word that could describe Alex Reid that day. She suffered a broken leg and a broken arm, both of which were easily repaired by Madam Pomfrey. The blow she took to her head, however, wasn't so easily fixed. Even though Alex hadn't suffered any permanent damage, she wasn't expected to wake up for several days…possibly after the upcoming dance.

But the dance was the furthest thing from several minds. Many people came to visit Alex while she was in the infirmary, even Professor McGonagall. Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Hermione, despite what she thought she saw, all made several visits. Harry himself never once left her side. It took a lot of convincing on Madam Pomfrey's part but she eventually caved. Then came the task of talking to his professors. Most were willing to excuse him from class, so long as he kept up with his work. Snape threatened to fail him in Potions but Harry didn't care. He knew Dumbledore wouldn't allow it anyway.

So the hours passed by, and Harry spent most of that time just watching Alex as she slept, looking for any sign that she was okay. He also used the time to think about the past few months at Hogwarts and how they'd been so different because of this girl. Harry even noticed a change in himself. It was almost as if he was reverting back to his old self again.

Everything had changed drastically after the end of his fifth year. Things he had once worried about suddenly seemed so trivial. Girls weren't important anymore, that much was obvious because of Cho. The Dursleys didn't bother him anymore. Not that Uncle Vernon and Dudley weren't their annoying selves, but Harry had really learned to tune them out; and he and Aunt Petunia had reached a kind of unspoken, reluctant understanding of each other. She wasn't anymore pleasant than usual, but at least she didn't get on his case about everything. Then again, reconciliation with his Aunt wasn't that meaningful to him. Things he had loved before, like Quidditch, didn't have the same fire. He felt miserable, like he was waiting for the end of his world to come.

Then she came along and completely turned his world upside down. Her intensity and her frank commentary were extremely infectious. Harry wished that he could share that same attitude. So she didn't get perfect marks; it didn't seem to matter. If someone tried to mess with her and embarrass her, then she just came right back and messed with them. Harry had a feeling that if Alex were to come face to face with danger, she would look it in the eye, insult it openly, and laugh right in its face. This girl, Alex Reid, was certainly one of a kind.

A sudden noise jolted Harry away from his in depth thoughts. He quickly realized that the noise had come from Alex herself. She was still lying in the hospital bed, but her eyes were trying desperately to open. Letting out another moan, Alex finally managed to open them. As everything slowly came into focus, a large frown began to spread across her face. Harry held his breath in anticipation as Alex got her first good look at him. She turned her head to look at her surroundings, opened and closed her mouth like she was completely confused, then looked back at Harry. That's when a flash of realization crossed her face.

"Potter?" she asked weakly. "What the hell happened?"

"We were playing Quidditch, remember?" Harry was so relieved that she remembered who he was.

"Of course I remember that," Alex rolled her eyes. "But how did I wind up here in the infirmary…again?"

"Ah, that. Well apparently Andrew managed to beat the Bludger right at you at one point, but since you weren't really moving or paying attention it got you right in the back of your head. He tried to warn you, but it was already too late. There was nothing to stop your fall to the ground," Harry paused, taking a deep shuddering breath. "We were so scared, we didn't know if you would make it at first. Madam Pomfrey said that you wouldn't be awake for days."

"Oh, please, I've dealt with worse things," Alex said. "One little fall off a broom is not about to stop me. I'm tougher than that, Potter."

"So it seems," Harry's breathing slowly returned to normal. "That was some amazing flying, Alex. I've never seen another student play like that before."

"Like someone with a death wish," Alex joked.

"I'm serious!" Harry exclaimed. "Where did you learn to fly like that? Who taught you?"

"I had a good teacher," Alex gave a sad smile. "Let's just say I've been training for a long time."

"Well, you were brilliant," Harry said. "It was the best game I've played in a long time."

"I know, isn't the feel of Quidditch amazing," Alex got this dreamy look on her face. "It's like the perfect way to lose yourself and yet still keep total control. There's so much fighting going on in the world, but when you're up there on that broom you can forget about it for just a few minutes."

"That's exactly how I feel," Harry said in astonishment. Alex turned her head to look directly at him and he could see that her face had become serious again.

"Yeah, well, there's not enough Quidditch in the world to make all our problems disappear for good," she said. "Sometimes it's best to keep our feet on the ground."

"I suppose," Harry sighed. "Some problems are just too big to ignore. And if we don't try to solve them, who will?"

"Exactly," Alex replied while stifling a yawn. "Oh, man! How come you can sleep for hours and still be tired? I don't want to spend any more time in this rotten place. Speaking of which, how long have I been in here?"

"Oh, about thirty six hours," Harry shrugged.

"What!"

"You took a massive blow to the head, Alex. No one just walks away from an injury like that."

"God, I'm getting soft," Alex muttered to herself before she eyed Harry suspiciously. "And I suppose you've been here the entire time, watching over me like a mother hen?"

"Guilty," Harry tried hard not to blush with embarrassment.

"Then I order you to go to your room and get some rest," Alex pointed a finger towards the door. "I really mean it too. No one wants to hang around with 'Cranky Potter.'"

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving," Harry held his hands up in surrender as he slowly backed away. "You get some rest too."

"I think I'll do that," Alex as she settled herself properly into her blankets. As Harry reached the main infirmary doors, he paused to look back at Alex.

She already had her eyes closed and was probably half way to dreamland by now. Harry had never seen her asleep since the first days after her chaotic arrival. He was totally thrown by how peaceful she looked. It completely contrasted her whirlwind personality when she was awake. Yet here in the hospital bed, Alex looked very vulnerable.

Harry wished he could have saved her from that fall. It nearly ripped his heart into millions of jagged little pieces when he saw her hit the ground. He didn't know what he would do if something serious had happened to her. Alex couldn't leave him now. She was the only person in the world who thought like he did. She was the only one he could talk to about anything. Sure he hadn't told her everything yet, but he was sure he could.

A soft smile crossed his face as Alex turned over on her side and curled herself up into a fetal position. Everything about her was wonderful. Harry felt strangely content, like his whole being was wrapped up in a warm, fuzzy blanket. It was definitely a strange feeling, and he had certainly never felt it before. Yes sir, it was brand spanking new. The smile on his face slowly disappeared as he thought about the source of these new emotions. Then it finally dawned on him; the thing that all his other friends had been able to see before him. It hit like an out-of-control Bludger.

He loved Alex Reid.

-----

"I don't like this," Hermione muttered to herself. "I really don't like this one bit."

Hermione and Ron were sitting around the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. It was late and Hermione was trying to finish up some homework, but her mind was completely distracted by the other day's events. Ron…well, Ron wasn't even pretending to do his work. His books remained closed in a pile on the floor.

"Hermione, what is going on?" Ron asked in exasperation. "You've been talking to yourself constantly since the Quidditch match. It makes you seem more psycho than usual."

"It's nothing, Ronald," Hermione emphasized his full first name as a warning.

"Not likely," Ron snorted. "Tell me what it is now or I'll start burning my books."

"No."

"And then I'll move on to yours."

"Fine!" Hermione hissed softly, so she wouldn't draw attention to herself. "You really want to know? I'll tell you, then. I think Alex tried to harm Harry at the Quidditch match. On purpose."

"What!"

"See? I knew I shouldn't have told you," Hermione went back to her work, shaking her head. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"Hermione…" Ron asked slowly, like she was going mad. "Why would Alex want to hurt Harry?"

"I don't know!" Hermione exclaimed. "Why wouldn't she? Am I the only one who remembers how little we actually know about her?"

They both sat in silence for a moment, just thinking about what Hermione had said. She had a point. So many people had openly accepted Alex into their lives, some more easily than others. But Alex had never done anything to deserve such doubt and scrutiny…until now.

Ron then surprised Hermione by asking her a very clear and level-headed question. "So what makes you think she wanted to hurt him?"

"It reminded me of when Snape…or Quirrell tried to hex Harry's broom during that game back in our first year," she explained carefully. "Ron, she wasn't moving or even blinking. And then it looked like she was muttering a curse or something under her breath. I would have done something about it, but then she got hit by the Bludger and…well, you know."

"I see," Ron said thoughtfully. "What would you say if I told you that I also noticed her staring at Harry?"

"You did?" Hermione blinked, then punched him roughly in his arm. "You idiot! Why didn't you say anything before? Honestly, letting me go on and on, thinking that I was going totally insane."

"Sorry," Ron scowled as he rubbed his sore arm. "I didn't know that was what you were thinking about. I'm not a mind reader. So do you want to know my opinion of the situation?"

"Yes, please," Hermione tried to keep her mouth shut.

"Alright, then. So I saw her staring, but I noticed something really different. I didn't think she was out to get Harry."

"Really? What did you see?" Hermione asked with curiosity.

"This is going to sound a bit strange, but there was curiosity written all over her face. She was admiring the way Harry was flying."

"I don't believe it," Hermione looked stunned. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I only noticed that she'd stopped a few seconds before the Bludger came. I didn't get a long look, though I'm almost sure of what I saw."

"How reassuring."

"Why don't you forget about it," Ron said. "After all, Alex hasn't done anything to Harry before the game. Why start now?"

"Maybe she was only waiting for the right moment," Hermione said darkly.

"I don't think so."

"Why are you so eager to believe in her innocence?" Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Do you fancy her? You and Harry were pretty fascinated by her in the beginning."

"No," Ron said truthfully, after a moment. "I don't fancy her and I don't think I ever did, really. She's not my type."

That comment certainly made Hermione raise her eyebrows in surprise. "And what is your type, exactly?"

"Not quite sure," Ron shrugged. "I just know that it's not her. Besides, I think Harry would be the one to like her."

"Oh, God," Hermione buried her face in her hands. "The last thing we need is for Harry to fall in love with Alex."

-----

**A/N:** Please review!

**Next Chapter:** The dance...I promise!


	19. Welcome to Hell

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry for the wait, too.

**Chapter 19 – Welcome to Hell**

Alex's speedy recovery meant that she was able to attend the dance after all. So on a fair-weathered Friday in late April, all students from Year 4 and up enjoyed an evening of music and dancing (and for others, a large dose of drama.) The dance itself wasn't meant to be overly elaborate. With all the turmoil and Death Eater activity going on, having a full-blown ball just wouldn't have been appropriate. The decorations were kept simple, and students were encouraged to go easy on the formalness of their attire. No students were allowed to visit Hogsmeade, due to safety reasons, but catalogues were readily available in the school if anyone wanted to buy new dress robes.

While the girls were getting ready up in Hermione's room, Harry, Ron and Neville were waiting impatiently for them down in the common room. Harry had nearly waited until the last minute, but he had finally asked Ginny to the dance and luckily she was still dateless. Ron and Neville were, of course, going with Hermione and Alex, respectively.

"I swear this just gets worse as they get older," Ron sighed in exasperation.

"You might want to be careful there, Ron," Harry warned.

"Yeah, don't want the girls hearing stuff like that," Neville said. The thought of annoying Hermione, Ginny, or Alex was absolutely petrifying in his mind. Each girl was dangerous in her own way.

"What shouldn't we hear?" came a voice from the stairs. All three boys shot up from their chairs and quickly spun around. There was Ginny, leaning casually against the railing of the girls' staircase. Harry felt his eyebrows rise slightly in surprise. Ginny looked rather nice. She was wearing a pretty, cream colored dress robe that really went well with her Weasley-red hair. Her hair, which was normally straight as a pin, was arranged in soft curls.

"Where are the other two?" Ron asked.

Ginny shot him an annoyed glare. "You look nice too, brother," she said. "I came down to tell you guys that they're right behind me. They'll be down in a second."

"Is anything wrong?" Harry could tell something else was up.

"Oh, Hermione's having some trouble convincing Alex to leave her room."

"Mission accomplished," Hermione suddenly appeared near the top of the steps, literally dragging a reluctant Alex along with her. The boys got a better view of them as they descended the stairs. Hermione was wearing a light purple robe and her hair was straightened. It was swept up on the top of her head in a maze of twists and curls. Now it was Ron's turn to look surprised.

Then they saw Alex. Harry knew he was staring at her but he just couldn't help it. Her robes were a gorgeous royal blue that made her eyes seem extra green. Her brown and blonde hair was perfectly smooth and straight, curving inwards to frame her face. She looked highly uncomfortable, like she wasn't used to attracting so much attention because of how she looked.

"You laugh, you die," Alex threatened the boys as she fidgeted with her robes. Did she really think she looked horrible?

"Alex, you look wonderful," Harry actually managed to get words out of his mouth.

"Whatever, let's just go," Alex said as she stormed past Hermione and Ginny. She grabbed Neville's arm as she passed by, jerking him towards the portrait door. Poor Neville glanced nervously over his shoulder to the others, who were all exchanging their 'she's-so-strange' look.

-----

The first dance, as planned, was performed by the Head Boy, Head Girl, and all the prefects. At least there were many couples on the dance floor, which meant that all the attention wasn't dumped on a few people.

"Now I kind of know how Harry felt three years ago," Ron said, referring to Harry having to be in the first dance of the Yule Ball in Fourth Year.

"Oh, it's really not that bad," Hermione rolled her eyes. "I was in that opening dance too, remember?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny were dancing just a few meters away. "You look nice tonight, Ginny," Harry said, finally acknowledging her appearance for the first time that evening. Ginny suspected that he was just trying to be polite, but she graciously accepted the compliment anyway.

"Thanks, Harry. You don't look too bad yourself," she replied.

"Thank you." Ginny couldn't help but notice that Harry's eyes kept daring over to the table where Alex and Neville sat. It was so obvious that his mind wasn't with them on the dance floor, though that really wasn't a surprise. Harry's mind was usually off somewhere else; only this time he was probably thinking about a certain girl.

They finished the dance and the three couples met up at the table. "I think I'll sit this one out," Ron said.

"Yeah, you really danced up a storm there, Weasley," Alex teased him. "God, I don't think I can handle all the excitement. This dance is just so fun!"

"Give it a chance," Harry suggested.

"Hey, look! There's Malfoy," Ginny pointed to him across the dance floor. "Maybe we could terrorize him for entertainment."

"And get into trouble?" Hermione asked. "Let's wait at least an hour before we bring out the chaos, shall we?"

"Let's go swarm the punch table until then," Alex suggested, and pulled Hermione and Ginny away from the group.

"So, Neville, how's it going?" Ron clapped his hand down on Neville's shoulder.

"It's alright," Neville shrugged. "Alex and I talked some while you guys were dancing. She's…I don't know…"

"Loud, insane, unpredictable, prone to mood swings?"

"She's interesting," Neville finally settled on an adjective.

"Neville, don't you know? All girls are 'interesting'," Ron said. "That's what makes them so hard to figure out."

The dance continued on without any major incidences, until there was about an hour or so left. Everybody danced with everyone else (Ginny purposely kept trying to step on Ron's feet during one song.) Ron asked Hermione to dance for the third time that night. The two of them were dancing to a semi-slow song.

Not too long into the dance, Ron happened to take a good look around the Great Hall. He saw Harry dancing with Ginny, and Alex and Neville were sitting down once again. He saw his professors, many of whom were standing discreetly on the sides of the room, sipping on glasses of punch. He saw many other people he knew, some he had known since First Year. That's when an unexpected wave of sadness washed over him, nearly making him shudder. Hermione noticed the unusual expression on his face.

"What is it, Ron?" she asked, full of concern.

"I don't know," he said. "I just got this nasty feeling of…ah, never mind."

"Come on, you can tell me," Hermione tried to encourage without pushing.

"Well, it's our last year here, you know, and we're supposed to graduate in two months and everything. But just right now I was looking at everybody and it suddenly hit me. We're _graduating_. Nothing's going to be the same after that. I may never see most of these people again in my life. I don't know why I didn't realize it until now. I mean, I knew this was coming but it never really sunk in yet."

"Oh, Ron," Hermione looked at him with large, sympathetic eyes.

"See, I knew it would be bad to tell you!" Ron exclaimed. "Now I've opened the flood gates for mushy feelings and talks about emotions. Urh! This is the last thing I need."

"I feel the same way too."

"About what?"

"About the end of school," Hermione said. "It's exciting but sad at the same time. Lots of people feel this way, Ron."

"They do?"

"Sure, some just feel it sooner or later than others," Hermione explained. "It's perfectly normal."

"Well, it's bloody awful," Ron complained. "I'm nearly sick to my stomach here. The thought of not seeing you or Harry just makes me want to…"

"Hold on," Hermione looked slightly confused. "What does this have to do with me and Harry?"

"What have I been saying!" Ron was exasperated. "At the end of school everything's going to change, even though I don't want it to. We'll all go off and never see each other."

"Ron!" Hermione was now completely shocked. "You think the three of us won't be friends after Hogwarts? How can you even think that!"

"Come on, Hermione, don't tell me you don't know what'll happen," Ron looked so defeated. "You'll be snatched up by some fancy place, probably some big department in the Ministry. Harry will become a world-class Auror, or I'll eat my own socks. I'll end up doing whatever, probably some minimum wage job somewhere far away from you guys. We'll still be friends but we won't have time for each other. Our lives will be so busy, we'll barely remember to send each other birthday cards."

Hermione was so stunned, she couldn't find any words to reply with. She simply stared at him as they continued to sway in circle. "You really believe that will happen?" she finally managed.

"It could," Ron shrugged.

"Well, I don't believe it," Hermione said, trying to make him believe her. "I think we'll all remain just as close as we are now."

"I hope so," Ron said softly. "You guys are the only real friends I have. We've seen each other nearly everyday for the past seven years. It'll be so weird waking up every morning and not going to breakfast with you guys. Who's going to tell me not to swear all the time? Who am I going to get into trouble with?"

Hermione was deeply touched by Ron's concern. She had no idea he felt this way. Ron was the guy who rarely showed any kind of feelings except sarcasm and frustration. Who knew he had such complex, emotional thoughts. Hermione thought she knew everything about him…but apparently she was very wrong.

And just when she thought he couldn't surprise her anymore than he already had, Ron pulled her into a tight, almost desperate hug.

"Promise me we'll always be friends," he whispered urgently into her ear. "Promise me we'll never drift apart."

"I promise," Hermione felt tears spring up in her eyes.

And for the remaining few lines of the song, they stayed locked in their tight embrace.

-----

Alex had gotten up before the song had ended to go get some more punch. There she found Lavender and Parvati, who were gazing out onto the dance floor in amazement. Alex followed their glance and was fairly surprised herself. All three saw Ron and Hermione holding each other very closely.

"Never thought Ron had it in him," Lavender said. "If he were any bolder, he'd be kissing her right now."

"No way," Alex snorted.

"No, seriously," Parvati piped up. "We're convinced he has a crush on Hermione. I'd say it's been going on for a few years now. I just don't think he or Hermione know it yet. Everybody else knows. Even Harry can see it, I think."

"Yeah, well, no one in Potter's circle talks about it," Alex said. At least not much, she added to herself.

"I suppose he's not too bad for her," Lavender said thoughtfully. "He's not as smart as she is, but he's not too bad to look at. Plus he's a Quidditch player, which also gives him points."

"Oh, really," Alex arched an eyebrow dangerously, though Lavender completely missed the hint and continued on.

"Yeah, she could probably do better but Ron's a good start," Lavender casually flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"A good start for what?" Alex challenged.

"Err…I mean as a good first steady boyfriend," Lavender finally seemed to realize that she was walking on very thin ice and tried to save herself. "Can you picture the two of them together for a long time? It's, like, not hard to see that they're so different. I don't think it'd work out in the long run."

This time Alex didn't have anything to say. She just looked down at the floor in a defeated sort of way. Parvati took the opportunity to change the subject. "So Alex, what made you bring Neville to the dance?" she asked.

"Nothing made me," Alex glared at the girls. Maybe coming over here was a very bad idea, especially since Alex felt like wringing their scrawny, little necks. "Neither of us had dates, so we decided to go as friends like the rest of our group."

"I think it's great that you're with him," Lavender said. "Otherwise he probably wouldn't be here. The only other girls he'd probably go with are Ginny and Hermione…and maybe that Luna girl if he were up to it."

"You have such high opinions about your classmates," Alex rolled her eyes.

"Well, Neville isn't the most outgoing kind of guy," Parvati reasoned. "He's been so shy ever since our first year. I have to say, though, he's been a little better ever since the beginning of last year. I think it had something to do with the whole Department of Mysteries thing."

"Here we go again," Lavender sighed. "I can't believe you believe those stories. Neville Longbottom fighting Death Eaters; now there's something I can't picture."

"Maybe it's all true," Alex said.

"Unlikely," Lavender glanced over at the table where Neville was still sitting. "I think Neville will always be Neville, the sweet, shy guy that has never kissed a girl because he's so safe and doesn't take chances."

"Oh, yeah," Alex had finally had enough. She couldn't hear anymore of this trash. "Be careful what you say, Brown. People can change and surprise you."

Before Lavender had a chance to respond, Alex spun on her feel and quickly marched away, leaving the two girls standing there looking very much like goldfish. Alex planted herself in front of Neville and promptly asked him for another dance. Neville didn't have the courage to refuse.

As luck would have it, another slow song started playing. This one was a sweet, romantic ballad. Alex didn't hesitate and placed both her hands on Neville's shoulders. He carefully placed his hands on her waist and made sure they were standing a respectable distance apart. As they started dancing, Neville couldn't help but ask Alex something.

"Alex?" he questioned carefully. "What did Lavender and Parvati say to you? I saw you talking to them and how you walked away like you were mad. Did they upset you?"

"It was nothing, Longbottom," Alex sighed. She just wanted to forget about it.

"Was it about me?" Neville asked, watching Alex carefully.

"What?" Alex's head snapped up to look at him. "What makes you say that?"

"I'm pretty sure I saw them looking at me," Neville explained dryly. "And then you marched over here like you were on a mission, or something. I know they sometimes talk about me. I'm pretty used to it by now."

Alex was going to lie to him. She was all ready to open her mouth and deny it, but then she didn't see the point. Neville deserved the truth. "Yeah, we were talking about you," she admitted. "And they pissed me off so I left them."

"Did they dare you to dance with me again?" Neville had an anxious look on his face.

"What? No!" Alex seemed appalled by the idea. "If they'd done that I would've told them to go straight to Hell. I'm dancing with you because I want to."

"Not because you feel sorry for me?"

"Absolutely not," Alex said firmly.

"It's okay, you know," Neville couldn't seem to look her in the eye. "Like I said, I'm used to it. I've never been that comfortable around girls. I'm not athletic like Ron, and I'm certainly not brave like Harry."

"What about the Department of Mysteries?" Alex asked. "Didn't you fight a bunch of Death Eaters?"

"That was stupid," Neville gave a bitter laugh. "I was stupid. I probably got in Harry's way more than I helped. I really wouldn't call that bravery. It's like I've been in the shadows my whole life. No one ever notices me, except when I'm with Harry's group. I doubt I'll ever find a nice girl, either. I've never even…"

Neville stopped himself, but Alex had a good idea what he was going to say. Alex took a moment to really look at him. She had to tilt her head up a bit because of his height, which was something since Alex herself wasn't a petite person. She examined his face, that cute face of his. Who ever said that he wasn't good looking? He wasn't the best looking guy around but he was far from the worst. And he was still young. Alex bet that he would only look nicer as he got older.

Right now, she could see the anguish written all over his face. It wasn't much or obvious, but she could tell it was there. It was the face of someone who had been teased and tormented for years. Alex inwardly cursed people like Malfoy, Lavender and Parvati for crushing Neville's spirit. He could be so much more, but his self-doubt and lack of confidence held him down like a giant weight. No one, no matter who they were, deserved to live in such a way.

Then, as if her body was acting completely on its own, Alex lifted her hands from Neville's shoulders. She placed them on both sides of his face and forced him to look at her. "Longbottom," she said with all the conviction she could muster. "You are a brave person, no matter what anyone says, including yourself."

Neville's eyes were wide and moist. He didn't try to stop her as she carried on. "You have more courage in you than you realize," Alex said. "You are a Gryffindor for a reason. It's not a mistake. Never think that for a moment. You are kind and caring and you have a huge heart. That's what really matters in the end."

Neville gave a nervous gulp and saw Harry out of the corner of his eye. He was watching them carefully as they danced. Neville tried to move his head a bit but Alex's hands still held his face firmly in one spot. "I think Harry is watching us," Neville said. "He probably wanted to come with you to the dance."

"I came with you, Longbottom," Alex ignored his comments. "I choose you, not Potter. Is that so hard to believe?"

"A little," Neville admitted.

"Well maybe this will convince you."

Before Neville knew what was happening, he felt a pair of soft lips on his own. He looked down in absolute shock and saw Alex leaning up on her toes. She was kissing him! He had never been kissed by a girl before! Well, except for aunts and grandmothers, but they absolutely did not count.

It wasn't just a quick peck on the lips either. As Neville was slowly getting over his initial shock, Alex was still there. Her hands were now on the back of his head and she was a bit closer than before. Wondering what he should do, Neville decided that he needed to be brave. No more being shy and no more avoiding girls. He thought Alex was a very pretty girl, and by Merlin, if she gave him the honour of a kiss he was certainly going to return it.

Feeling very daring, Neville let his hands slide around to Alex's lower back and pulled her a bit closer. They kept it simple, especially since they were still out in the middle of the dance floor. Neville held Alex in his arms until the end of the song came around. When it finished, they both pulled back and looked at each other. Neville gave Alex a soft smile, which she gladly returned, happy that she was able to lift his troubled spirits.

The smile on Neville's face slowly faded away into a look a worry and fear, as he saw something over her shoulder. Alex twisted her head around and saw Harry glaring at them. The smoke was practically coming out of his ears. She also saw Ron, Hermione and Ginny standing a little ways away from Harry. Their jaws were nearly on the floor. Alex was pretty sure that a few other people were staring at them too.

It was Harry's look of rage that made Alex turn back to Neville. "Listen," she drew his attention to her. "Everything I said tonight is true. I had a wonderful time but I think I should leave before Potter makes a scene. I better get out of here before the volcano blows."

Alex gave Neville a quick kiss on his cheek before she took off for the main doors. And not a moment too soon, Neville realized. As soon as Alex started to leave, Harry started moving too…in Alex's direction. She made it through the double doors, and a few seconds later, Harry was gone too. Neville watched them go, wishing that Alex didn't have to leave so soon, Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, then glanced at Ginny.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon," Hermione tried her best to sound convincing.

"I doubt it," Ginny looked pretty composed, especially for someone whose date just took off after another girl.

"I can threaten to hurt him for you if you want," Ron offered.

"Nah, that's alright. I'm fine really," Ginny saw the disbelieving looks from them. "I'm fine! I think I'll go find Luna and dance with her for a while."

Hermione and Ron shook their heads as Ginny walked away. "She may not show it, but I'll bet she's devastated," Hermione said. "Harry has put her heart through the wringer so many times."

"He'd never deserve her," Ron added. "Almost."

-----

"Alex!"

Alex ignored him for a moment longer. She knew Harry would follow her. That's why she left, so she could draw him away from everyone else. It wasn't really fair to Neville and Ginny, she knew, but she also didn't want to have this argument in a room full of on-lookers. She wanted to put a bit of distance between them and the Great Hall.

"Alex!"

"Yes, Potter?" she spun around. They'd gone far enough.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Harry asked.

"What was what?" Alex decided to play dumb, just to annoy him. He was so red in the face.

"You kissed Neville!" Harry cried. "In front of everybody."

"So?" Alex shrugged, even though it was getting harder to stay calm.

"You kissed him!" Harry repeated. "Neville of all people. Why did you go and do something so impulsive and stupid like that?"

"Because he needed it, Potter!" Alex exclaimed. Okay, even she was starting to get worked up now.

"What are you talking about?" Harry looked at her like she was mad.

"You can't see it, can you?" Alex shot back. "Or at least not enough to do something about it. You have no idea what he's been through…"

"Don't talk to me about that!" Harry roared. "How can you compare what I've been through to what he's been through?"

"I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about him!" Alex shouted. "You barely know anything about him. He's been stepped on and trampled over his entire life. He doesn't have a close network of friends like you do, and he only sort of has friends when he's around your group. No girl has ever expressed any interest in him. Not one, which is something even you can't say. He nearly feels worthless sometimes and he feels like no one really cares about him except for his family. That's why I kissed him, Potter."

The two of them just stood silently, glaring at each other with their heartbeats racing like mad. "Do you like him?" Harry asked her.

"Yes."

"Do you love him?" Harry asked softly.

"God, Potter, haven't you been listening to what I'm saying!" Alex gripped her head in frustration. "I don't love him. I just wanted to give him something special, to let him know that he matters. That's all. Why are you overreacting about this?"

Harry considered his response to her question and wondered which path he should take. He could take the easy path and make up some lie…or he could opt for the harder path and go with the truth. In the end, he chose the truth.

"Because I love you," Harry whispered.

"What?" Alex's face went deadly white. Whatever she was expecting, this was definitely not the answer she had in mind.

"I love you, Alex Reid," Harry said in a louder voice.

"You…you…what?" Alex couldn't form a complete sentence.

"I only realized it after our Quidditch game," Harry plunged onwards. "When I thought you weren't going to make it…I couldn't bear to think about it. I feel different when I'm with you…"

"Potter, stop it," Alex protested.

"But I can't," Harry said. "I feel this connection between us and it only gets stronger everyday. Don't tell me you can't feel it?"

"Not all connections are good connections, Potter," now Alex was getting upset. Harry could see the concern in her eyes.

But what had she just said about connections? Harry tried to figure out what she meant, when he suddenly remembered the link he shared with Voldemort. That link was the reason why had to master Occlumency last year, especially after learning about the prophecy. Is that what Alex meant about bad connections? But why would she even bring that up?

Worst of all, why would she compare their connection to that particular one?

"I still love you," Harry said. "Even if you don't love me, I'll always love you."

"You're confused, Potter," Alex shook her head. "You don't know what you're feeling or what you're saying."

"I don't think so."

"I'm leaving," Alex said suddenly, wiping at the corner of her eye. "I'm going back to the tower and I don't want you to follow me."

She spun around and walked away. Harry didn't follow. After the revelations of tonight, Harry thought it would be best to give Alex some space. This battle could be continued on another day.

-----

**A/N:** Ah, the dance is over. Please review!

**Next Chapter:** The aftermath of the ball...Harry gets a special visit and a warning from a certain someone


	20. Remember

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews! Heads up, there is a dream sequence at the end of this chapter.

**Chapter 20 – Remember **

The battle did continue, or at least not in the way that Harry had imagined. Alex was apparently avoiding him, which was fairly easy since it was the weekend and they didn't have to sit together in class. They were barely in the same room for two minutes at a time. If Harry was in the common room, then Alex was in the library. If Harry was in the Great Hall, then Alex was always "late" for meals. This worried Harry most of all. He was fairly certain that Alex wasn't eating well. It looked like she had lost a bit more weight but he couldn't get her to eat more if they weren't at the table together.

Harry knew he had to do something by the time Sunday afternoon rolled around. They wouldn't be able to get through their classes this week if they didn't get things sorted out between them. After giving it some thought, he realized that they needed to talk. So with all the determination he could muster, Harry ventured off to the library in search of Alex.

When he entered the library, he went straight to the back. His suspicions were confirmed, as he found Alex sitting alone at a small table in a corner. Her work was spread out all over the place, but it didn't look like she was getting much done. She idly twirled her wand around in her fingers and just stared at it with this blank look. Her whole body froze as Harry approached. Alex looked at him warily out of the corner of her eye, then immediately started packing up her things.

"You don't have to leave," Harry said quickly.

"Yes I do," Alex sighed. "We're not doing this here. If we must, then let's move it somewhere else."

"You really don't like talking in front of others, do you?" Harry couldn't help himself; the question seemed to fly out of his mouth.

"Not when it's personal," Alex said as she flung her bag over her shoulder. "It's none of their business."

The two Gryffindors left the library and walked through the halls until they came to a fairly empty corridor. "Alright," Alex stopped and faced Harry with her arms crossed over her chest. "Let's get to it. What do you have to say?"

"Oh, thanks for making this so easy for me," Harry frowned.

"Who said I would?" Alex shot back. "Look, Potter, you're the one who wanted to have this conversation. I was perfectly fine just sitting in the library by myself."

"Fine. I just wanted to say that I still feel the way I did the night of the dance. I doubt I'll be changing my mind any time soon, either."

"And I still say that you're confused," Alex shook her head.

"Well, it's not like it makes complete sense to me!" Harry exclaimed with a hint of anger. "I haven't known you for a long time, but I love you anyway. There are so many things about you that I don't know, but I still love you. It's annoying and frustrating, knowing that you have secrets, and I wish that you would just open up to me and trust me, like I've trusted you."

"What a lovely thing to say," Alex had this incredulous look on her face. "And how dare you try to turn the tables on me. I'm not the bad guy here and you're not exactly the innocent victim here, either."

Harry took a moment to breathe and relax. This was not going so well. Alex definitely had a nasty temper and he was on the verge of releasing it. He didn't want it loose and running rampant, he wanted to smooth things over. "Isn't there anyway you can talk to me about your past?" Harry asked with extreme caution. "I just want to know you better."

"I don't think so, Potter," Alex said as patiently as she could. "There are so many things I'll never be able to tell you. You'll have to learn to accept that."

"But why?"

"Because it's all part of me and who I am," Alex explained.

Harry didn't know how to respond after that. He knew such a thing would be hard to accept. It would kill him not knowing as much as he could about her. Then again, another part of him really wanted to respect Alex's wishes. He just hoped that she had very good reasons for guarding her past.

"Fine," Harry finally relented. "You win…again. I promise I won't bother you again about any of this and…"

"Potter," Alex sighed. "It's not you, okay. I just can't have a boyfriend right now. It's really not a good time. And one more thing, if you want a piece of advice."

"What kind of advice?" Harry was afraid to ask.

"If you want to keep your friendship with Longbottom, I suggest you talk to him," Alex shrugged. "I mean, it's up to you of course, but I'm sure he thinks you hate him right now. And I don't think it would hurt if you talked to Ginny too, if you haven't already."

"Sure, as long as you talk to Neville so he doesn't get the wrong idea about that kiss."

"Already done."

Oh. Harry only nodded, before they started off down the hallway. As soon as they took a few steps, they saw an ugly sight. Malfoy was sauntering down the hall with Grabbe and Goyle in tow. There was no where else to go. Harry and Alex could either turn and walk away or continue on right past them. Of course, neither Harry nor Alex was going to be influenced by Malfoy's presence. So they each stood a bit straighter and their hands were ready to go for their wands. Naturally, though, Malfoy couldn't resist stopping and making some nasty comment.

"Oh, look!" Malfoy exclaimed. "It seems as though Reid here as moved on from Longbottom to Potter. What was wrong, Reid? Longbottom couldn't satisfy you? One public kiss was enough and now you've dumped him…"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Alex glared at him in disgust.

"Or maybe you're thinking things will be better with Potter," Malfoy carried on. "Can't say they will be."

"Run away, Malfoy," Harry warned. "Now."

"I don't think I will," Malfoy smirked.

"Hey, Malfoy, see any good pictures lately?" Alex asked. Malfoy's smirk was instantly replaced by a deep scowl.

"You don't know who you're playing with," he glared.

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to go: 'oh, I'm so scared! Somebody please help me!'"

"You will regret this," Malfoy's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You won't be so bold and confident when I'm through with you."

Alex burst out laughing. "What are you going to do? Pull another practical joke on me? Like that really worked well last time. I'm still shaking inside when I think about it."

"Just you wait until…"

"Why don't you give it a rest," Harry rolled his eyes in boredom.

"Stay out of this, Potter," Malfoy spat. "This is between me and Reid now." Harry merely glared back and decided to not respond. He knew Alex could handle things anyway.

"God, you must be extremely brave or incredibly stupid," Alex looked over Malfoy. "And by the looks of things my vote is for stupid. Seriously though, why do we keep on arguing like this? I always win, yet you keep on dragging your sorry ass back for more verbal abuse."

"Enough!" Malfoy roared, his hand twitching for his wand.

"Oh, so now you want some physical abuse too?" Alex quipped. "If that's what you really want."

"Someone's going to teach you a lesson, someday," Malfoy fumed. "And I hope I get to see it."

No one said a word for a long, tense moment. Then Alex surprised everyone by stepping closer to Malfoy. They were nearly face to face, a mere foot apart. They stared at each other for a little while longer.

"You aren't worth my time, you ignorant little boy," Alex said softly, but with great force. And before Malfoy could overcome his indignation, Alex and Harry were on their way, leaving the three stunned Slytherins behind.

-----

Firenze, the centaur, stood once again out in the open just outside the school. A cool breeze whipped through the trees on this fine April evening. The dark sky was accented by a bright moon and thousands of twinkling stars. Firenze was studying these very stars, trying to read their secrets. Of course, he was looking for one message in particular.

He finally found it after a few moments of searching, the message he had originally found on a cold night in January. The message, it seemed, had changed a bit since then. It made it seem like the great danger was already at Hogwarts and that said danger was growing with each day.

Firenze's thoughts drifted to the Potter boy, and the conversation they had had many weeks ago. Firenze had given him a warning. Did the boy still remember that warning or had he forgotten it?

"I hope you do remember, Harry Potter," Firenze said to himself softly. "So much depends on it."

As luck, or fate, would have it, Harry had an unusually strange dream that same night. Perhaps some higher power thought that he needed a wake up call, or maybe the whole thing was just a dream. Either way, it was a message that Harry would not soon forget.

-----

Harry was dozing near the fireplace in the common room. He was pretty sure he was alone. Everyone else was in bed. It was very late, but Harry didn't want to be in his room. Just as he was almost asleep, he thought he heard something. His eyes flew open. It sounded like soft footsteps.

Harry sat up a bit and looked around. Funny, he didn't see anyone. Harry slouched back down in his armchair, feeling sort of confused. Was he going crazy? Then he heard the sound again. His head spun around and he nearly choked. There, standing in the middle of the room, was Sirius.

No words could come out of Harry's mouth. Sirius was here, looking very put together, by the way. He was dressed in a white shirt and white trousers, and his dark hair was neatly combed and tied at the back of his head. Harry couldn't believe it, Sirius was here!

"Hello, Harry," Sirius said quietly.

For some reason, hearing Sirius's voice suddenly made everything real. Harry knew that it was really him. Launching himself out of his chair, Harry wasted no time and immediately crashed into his godfather.

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, giving him a huge bear hug. "I can't believe it! It's really you!"

"Yeah, kid, it's me," Sirius smiled as he patted his godson on the back. "Long time no see, huh?"

"I can't believe it," Harry repeated. "How did you get here? Why are you here?"

"One thing at a time, Harry," Sirius said. "I can stay a little while. There are some things we need to discuss, alright? Why don't we go sit down?"

Harry and Sirius each took a seat in front of the fireplace. The whole thing just seemed so unreal to Harry. He was afraid to take his eyes off his godfather, fearing that he would vanish as quickly as he appeared.

"Now there are some very important things we need to talk about," Sirius started. "And I won't be able to stay forever, so we'd better get down to business."

"How did you…"

"I'm here on a mission, Harry," Sirius explained. "They sent me here to remind you."

"Who?" Harry was so confused. "And what am I supposed to remember?"

"_They_ sent me," Sirius said like it was obvious. "You didn't remember the dream that you had and they wanted me to refresh your memory. That dream has a lot of meaning behind it, Harry, and it'll be important for later on. You might really need it."

"Alright, I'm completely lost here," Harry said.

"Of course you are, that's why I'm here," Sirius smiled. "I'm here to put you back on track. So let me ask you something: do you remember a certain conversation you had with Firenze back in January?"

"Yeah, I remember," Harry said after a few seconds.

"Remember what it was about?" Sirius asked.

"Err…it was about something he saw in the stars," Harry recollected. "I think he said that there was some kind of danger coming to Hogwarts, or that it might already be here."

"That sounds about right," Sirius nodded. "Now did you stay alert for any signs of danger?"

"Sirius, I don't know if it's actually here," Harry said hesitantly. "I mean, I've tried to keep my eyes open and all but so far I haven't seen anything really suspicious. Nothing seems to be happening inside the school. Maybe Firenze got the message wrong. Maybe the danger's not even here yet or maybe it's meant to be found on the outside."

"Harry, haven't you learned anything over the years," Sirius chuckled. "Something dangerous doesn't have to have the word 'danger' tattooed on its forehead. It doesn't have to come in the shape of a Dark Lord, either. It can come in many different shapes and forms. You know the worst creatures of all are the ones that don't appear to be dangerous on the outside; a kind of 'wolf in sheep's clothing' kind of deal."

"I still can't think of anything…"

"That's because you're not thinking clearly," Sirius gave Harry a sympathetic smile. "Sometimes it's hard to see the answer, even if it's right in front of you. You have to keep an open mind, too. You need to accept different possibilities."

"I'll try my best," Harry said. "It's still going to be hard, though, not knowing what it could be."

"I know," Sirius said. The two of them just sat in silence for a while. Harry really enjoyed it, as he never did have many quiet moments like this when Sirius was around. Everything had always been so chaotic and crowded. Now it was calm and peaceful. Still, a part of Harry was extremely worried about this supposed danger.

"But how will I know?" Harry asked softly. "Will I be able to tell what this danger is? What if I miss it, will Hogwarts be in trouble?"

"You've got to have faith in yourself, Harry," Sirius said. "I know I believe in you and I always will. And remember, I'll always be by your side no matter what happens."

Harry simply nodded, trying to keep the tears out of his eyes. Having Sirius's trust meant the world to him. He couldn't believe they were sitting here together, but as much as Harry wanted it to, the visit couldn't last forever. To his disappointment, Sirius stood as if he meant to leave.

"Wait!" Harry exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. "Can't you stay a bit longer?"

"Sorry, Harry but my time here is running up," Sirius too looked like he wanted to stay. "They'll be wanting me to get back any minute now."

"I wish you didn't have to go," Harry said in a near whisper. "I miss you, Sirius."

"I miss you too, kid," Sirius smiled sadly. "So does your Mom and Dad. They say hi, by the way. We're all proud of you."

Harry only gaped at Sirius as he turned to walk away. Suddenly Sirius paused like he just remembered something. "I nearly forgot," he said. "There is one bit of advice that I can give you about the dream you had."

"The one I can't remember?" Harry replied dryly.

"Yeah, that's the one. Just keep an eye out for the black panther. It's the key that will lead you to the danger."

"What black panther?" Harry was now very confused.

"That one," Sirius gestured across the room. Harry turned to look and saw a large black panther sitting there staring back at him. Harry gasped. All at once, images started flashing through his head. He was following this panther through the halls, the voice that was singing, opening the front doors and being swallowed by the light, everything he had forgotten about that dream from months ago.

"'Bye, Harry."

Harry heard Sirius call out to him, then he suddenly found himself awake in his own bed. Breathing heavily, Harry tried to figure out what was going on. He waited for his heartbeat to come down a bit, then reached for his glasses. When he looked at his alarm clock, he saw it was only 2:30 in the morning.

Harry sat up in his bed, his mind going a million miles an hour. He remembered everything now. Why hadn't he remembered that dream from before? How did Sirius get here? Had that been a dream, too? But it felt so real. Wanting a bit of fresh air, Harry got up and quietly moved over to the window. He gently eased it open and took a few deep, calming breaths. Harry stood there for a few minutes, just watching the peaceful grounds below. Everything was incredibly silent and still.

Harry was about to shut the window and return to his bed, when he suddenly thought he saw something lurking in the shadows. He froze and held his breath. Then he saw it again. It was creeping around the edge of the forest, doing its best to keep out of sight. Harry tried to see it again, but it failed to make another appearance. Maybe he was only tired, or maybe his dream had something to do with it. Either way, Harry wondered if he was going insane.

Because he was pretty sure that he had just seen a black panther roaming the grounds at Hogwarts.

-----

**A/N:** You know what I'm going to say. Please review!

**Next Chapter:** Harry tells Ron and Hermione about the dream...and tragedy strikes Hogwarts


	21. Tragedy

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. This is where the story really begins. From this point on, things are about to get very interesting...

**Chapter 21 – Tragedy **

Harry waited until classes were over on Monday before bringing up the topic of his mysterious dream. It was after supper and Harry, Ron and Hermione were making themselves comfortable in Ron's room. Alex obviously still had issues with Harry, so she had once again taken up residence in the library for the evening. That was just fine with Harry. He wasn't going to push anything between them just yet.

"So what's going on, Harry?" Hermione examined his face carefully. "You've been on edge all day, like there's something on your mind."

"I had a dream last night," Harry got straight to the point.

"Is that good or bad?" Ron asked, looking slightly uneasy. Who could blame him, though? Ron was probably thinking about the time nearly two and a half years ago when Harry saw Mr. Weasley in a dream, being attacked by a snake.

"It was more confusing than anything," Harry said in a 'go figure' tone. "But it was a warning, too. Sirius came to deliver it himself."

"Deliver?" Hermione frowned. "You make it seem like he was sent here for a reason. It was only a dream, wasn't it?"

"That's the thing, though," Harry sighed. "I'm pretty sure it was just a dream but it felt so real. I'd swear Sirius was really sitting with me in the common room…"

"Okay, hold on," Ron interrupted him. "Why don't you tell us exactly what happened from the very beginning."

So Harry launched into an explanation of his original dream, the one he had had back in January. Then he proceeded to describe the dream from last night. There was a good, long pause at the end of his story, as Ron and Hermione both tried to digest the information they had received as best they could.

"So we need to be on the look-out for this danger, whatever it is," Ron said.

"And your dream didn't give you any clues?" Hermione asked. "It could be anything or anyone?"

"Pretty much," Harry said.

"Well that really narrows it down!" Ron rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Why don't we ever get mysteries that can be solved in a minute, instead of weeks or months?"

"Because then they wouldn't be considered mysteries, Ron," Hermione said, biting her lip. "Harry, I'd say this is probably worth looking into. Maybe you should go see Dumbledore about it, but other than that I'd keep this news to yourself. The less people who know about it, the better. I'd even keep it from Alex and Ginny."

"Why?" Harry seemed to bristle at the idea.

"Well, if this danger is an actual person, we don't want this to leak out, do we?" Hermione reasoned. "We'll have a better chance of catching them if they don't think we're on to them."

"I suppose," Harry thought about it. "I agree about telling Dumbledore. God knows, he might already know but it should be done anyway. I think I might try and go see him about it now. It's not too late."

"Sounds good to me," Hermione said. She watched Harry leave the room before letting out a huge sigh. When she turned to glance anxiously at Ron, she could see that he was shaking his head at her.

"Don't say it," were his only words.

"Say what?" Hermione looked slightly puzzled.

"That Alex is the danger," Hermione opened her mouth in protest but Ron cut her off. "I know you. I know you, Hermione, and I know that was the first thought in your head when Harry told us about his dream. We've been friends for too long for me not to know that. You are totally paranoid and suspicious and…don't give me that look because you know it's true. There's no point denying it."

"Fine!" Hermione exclaimed. "Maybe I am a little suspicious, but someone around here has to be. Harry has a complete blind spot when it comes to that girl. I wouldn't even bother telling him about this because I know he'd refuse to listen. I believe that Hogwarts really is in danger and I don't think his two dreams are mere coincidences."

"Maybe it's just You-Know-Who, like Harry suggested," Ron shivered at the thought. "Though I don't want the danger to be _him_ either."

"Neither do I, Ron," Hermione rubbed her forehead. "I suppose we'll have to wait and see what Dumbledore says about it."

-----

As it turned out, Dumbledore wasn't overly concerned about this new bit of information. He did thank Harry, saying that he would keep it in mind. The days flew by until April had turned into May. Everyone was tense as usual, some more so than others because of the upcoming exams. News about Death Eater attacks kept filtering in, always grim and saddening. Ron managed to convince Hermione that nothing was wrong with Alex, but she still held onto a small bit of doubt.

Life at Hogwarts was relatively normal, until one day came that would change everything. This one Tuesday in early May would set into motion a series of events that would alter many lives.

It started off quite normally, actually. The only thing different at breakfast was Alex. She normally didn't eat much, but today she refused to eat a thing. When the morning post came, Alex became particularly tense. Classes went by smoothly, and again at lunch, Alex didn't eat. Harry asked her if she wanted to go see Madam Pomfrey, though she only shook her head in response.

Alex didn't even bother showing up for supper. This didn't surprise everyone else. They saw how terrible she had looked all afternoon. Harry noticed too that Alex seemed to be extremely stressed and overly alert. It was like she was waiting for a bomb to go off, or something.

Harry left supper early just so he could go and find her. He went to his room and checked the Marauder's Map. He saw her name, slightly fuzzy, but it was clear that she was outside by the lake. Running outside to meet her, he found her alone sitting near the edge of the lake, almost in the same spot where she crashed through the ice in January.

"Hey," Harry said as he joined her on the ground. "You weren't at supper. I was wondering where you were."

"I couldn't eat," Alex replied softly. Harry looked at her carefully.

"Alex, you look like you're going to be sick," Harry could see how pale her face was. "I've never seen you like this before."

"I'm fine, Potter," Alex said, obviously lying.

"If there's anything I can do…"

"Thanks, but I don't think you can do anything for me," Alex gently interrupted him. "I appreciate your concern, though."

"So what are you doing out here?" Harry noticed that Alex was carefully watching the sky.

"It's a nice night," she answered vaguely. "And I just wanted some fresh air. Thought it would make me feel better."

"I see," said Harry. They sat together in silence for a while. Harry was pleased that Alex was finally accepting his company again. It wasn't exactly like it was before, but Harry would take what he could get for now. He only wished that, in time, Alex could see how much she really meant to him.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he sensed an abrupt change in Alex. As he glanced at her he could see that her entire body was rigid and tense. She held her breath as she stared apprehensively at the school. Harry followed her gaze and saw what had caught her attention: a large, majestic looking owl flying towards the school. Normally this wouldn't have mattered at all to Harry, except…

"I think that owl's heading for Gryffindor Tower," Harry said, glancing back over to Alex. To his surprise, she looked nearly as white as a ghost.

"Shit!" Alex gasped as she scrambled to her feet. "Potter, we've got to go!"

"Why?" Harry asked with a sinking feeling in his stomach. The only time he had ever seen Alex like this was the first time she had woken up in the hospital wing.

"No time to explain, let's just go!" Alex immediately took off for the front doors of the school. "I've got a bad feeling about this!"

They sprinted through the halls, ignoring everyone who kept giving them these strange looks. Harry and Alex were nearly neck and neck the entire time. The farther they ran, the faster they went. With each step, Harry's sense of panic increased. Something must be terribly wrong. Why else would Alex have been so worried?

When they finally approached the entrance to the tower, Harry shouted out the password from almost halfway down the hall. The portrait door swung open, and Harry and Alex hardly had to pause to pass through the hole. They looked expectantly around the room. The few people who were there all had saddened faces. Neville was one of them. He stepped forward and glanced at them with hollow eyes. "Ron's room," was all he muttered.

Harry felt a sickening rush through his body, as if all his blood had left him. What had happened? He barely felt Alex's hand on his arm as she pulled him towards the boy's staircase. They ran up the flights of stairs, their adrenalin giving them an extra burst of speed. Coming to a screeching halt, they stood outside Ron's closed door as if they didn't dare enter. Finally Harry's hand reached out for the doorknob, turned it, then let the door swing open with a small push.

Ron and Ginny were crouched on Ron's bed, bending over a crumpled Hermione who was sobbing quietly in Ron's sheets. Harry felt his stomach drop through the floor.

"Guys?" Harry whispered as he and Alex finally entered the room. Ron and Ginny each looked up at them, their eyes shining with tears. Hermione turned her face slightly and peered up at them from amongst the sheets.

"Harry," Hermione sobbed as she reached out for his hand. "Oh, Harry, it's…it's awful."

"It's her Mom and Dad," Ginny said quietly. "The letter just came." She pointed over to a piece of parchment that was lying on the floor. Harry released Hermione's hand for a moment and bent over to pick it up. It was a letter from the Ministry, informing her that her parents had been killed earlier today in a Death Eater attack.

"Oh, Hermione," Harry sighed as he grasped her hand once more.

"They're gone," Hermione buried her face into the sheets again. Harry glanced at the others and saw that they too looked completely useless. No one knew what they could do to help her. They didn't know what to say to make it better, or if they should say anything at all. Someone had to do something.

"Ron, Ginny," Alex apparently decided to take charge. Now she was motioning for them to follow her out of the room. They followed, although their expressions were a bit confused. As Alex ushered them out, she looked over her shoulder and gave Harry a little nod of encouragement. Harry just gaped at her. They were going to leave him alone with Hermione!

"I think we should leave Potter with her for now," Alex explained to the two Weasleys once the door had closed.

"Why?" Ron looked a bit angry. "I'm her best friend, too, you know. I should be in there with her right now."

"She doesn't need all of us crowding her right now," Alex pointed out. "This will be a very difficult time for her and she probably only needs one person in there for the moment. The lot of us may only overwhelm her."

Ginny nodded her head slowly in understanding but Ron wasn't about to give up just yet. "But why Harry?" Ron asked. "Why does it have to be him?"

"Because he's been through this kind of stuff before," Alex rolled her eyes. "He knows what it feels like."

"Yeah, but we…"

"Yeah, but what?" Alex countered. "So you nearly lost your father two years ago. The point is that you didn't lose him. You may have thought so for a moment but in the end he was alright. You went through a day thinking that you'd never see him again, but Hermione here will go through the rest of her life _knowing_ that she'll never see her parents again. Harry went through the same thing with his godfather and he's had to deal with what happened to his own parents. I think he's the most qualified to help her right now."

"I agree," Ginny said.

"Fine," Ron sighed, giving into the plan. "We'll see her later, then."

"Where did everyone go?" Hermione asked, peeking up from her blankets again.

"I think they wanted to give you some space," Harry tried to hide his annoyance. How could they just leave him here to handle everything! He didn't know what to do or say!

"Oh," Hermione gave a shuddering sigh as she rolled onto her back. She stared at the ceiling for a moment before burying her face in her hands. Harry could still hear her muffled cries. "Harry, what am I going to do?" Hermione removed her hands, letting her tears slide down her face. "I honestly don't know what to do. I'm so scared. I think they had a plan for something like this but I'm not really sure. I have no idea how to handle something like this. How can anyone arrange anything during times like this!"

"Hey, whoa," Harry tried to calm her down before she became hysterical. "You don't have to think about any of that. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll have lots of help for planning…you know…"

"And I'll have to go to all my professors, too," Hermione carried on. "I've got so many essays and assignments due this week and next week. I'll probably need an extension on all of them…"

"Hermione!" Harry sat down on the side of the bed and gazed at her firmly. "Don't worry. We'll get it all sorted out eventually. You don't need those distractions right now."

"Yes I do!" Hermione cried. "It hurts too much if I think about them." For a moment she was silent, except for her uneven breaths and sniffs. Then she seemed to find the energy to continue. "They're gone, Harry, and I'll never, ever get to see them again. I'll never get to talk to them again or hear the sound of their voices. I just keep thinking about all the things I wanted to tell them and the things I'll never get to tell them. They'll never get to see me graduate or if I get married and have kids. My kids would never know their grandparents, or at least one set of them anyway. I feel so hollow inside and…so this is how it feels, Harry?"

Harry, who had been listening patiently, was slightly caught off guard by the sudden direct question. "Err…I suppose," he thought out loud. "But I think it's different for everyone. We handle death in different ways."

"I never got to tell them I loved them," Hermione sobbed, as a fresh batch of tears filled her eyes.

"I think they would've known," Harry said quietly. Following his instincts, Harry reached out and brushed her forehead with his hand. As more tears flowed down her face, Harry was hit with a sudden but not surprising revelation. In that very moment, he suddenly saw Hermione in a different light. They had much more in common than he realized. He knew that they both were only children and now they both had lost their parents…because of the same wizard. Harry knew he was an only child, but today it felt like he had gained a sister, one that he would love and protect with all his life.

Ron, Ginny and Alex came into the room a while later. They tried their best to offer her words of comfort, but words could only help so much. When it was time for bed, Ginny and Alex both left for their rooms and the original trio remained in Ron's room. With Harry on the couch and Ron on the floor, Hermione tried as best she could to get some sleep in the comfortable bed.

Once morning came, the boys scooted out of the room to allow Hermione to change. After a bit of discussion, Harry was elected to go back in and see how Hermione was holding up. When he slipped back in the room, Harry found her fully dressed, looking out the window with the curtains wide open.

"What are you looking at?" Harry asked as he slowly came up to her.

"I was afraid of this," she replied softly, not moving a muscle. "I knew it would happen, and I knew I'd have to face it this morning."

"Face what?" Harry glanced out the window, trying to see what she was looking at.

"The Sun," Hermione answered. "Last night I felt terrible. I'm not as bad now, but last night was much worse. It felt like the whole world had come to an end. But there was this little voice in the back of my head. It was saying, 'come on, Hermione. This isn't the end of the world, you'll see. You'll wake up tomorrow and life will move on.' And that voice was right. The Sun did rise and life is moving on."

"Yeah, that does happen, unfortunately," Harry sighed.

"And it's like I have this choice to make," Hermione continued. "I can stay in one place forever, feeling alone and sad, or I could move on with the rest of the world. But what if I'm not ready to make that choice yet?"

"You don't have to yet," Harry said. "Let yourself grieve first before you do anything else."

Harry was only a bit surprised when Hermione spun around and fell into his arms. He hugged her tightly, giving her all the support that she needed. "Will it ever get better?" she asked, trying to hold back the tears.

"Eventually," Harry said thoughtfully. "Some days will be good, some days will be bad. You might have a bunch of good days followed by one sudden bad day. You'll think about them less and less until you realize that you've gone through days without thinking about them. When that happens you shouldn't feel guilty. It just means that you're moving on with your life. You won't ever forget about them completely. There'll be a bunch of little things that will remind you of them but hopefully they'll be good memories."

"I hope so, too," Hermione whispered. Standing there in his arms, she realized how grateful she was to have a friend like Harry. It's not that she didn't appreciate Ron's friendship, her feelings for Harry were just…well, different. Harry understood so much because he had been through so much. She loved his simple, quiet comfort. It felt so right, like a familiar, loving comfort you'd get from your family. Hermione knew that if she could pick anyone in the world to be her brother, she would choose Harry.

"So when are you leaving?" Harry asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"In a little bit," Hermione reluctantly pulled away and wiped around her eyes. "I think someone from the Order is coming to get me, at least that's what McGonagall said last night. We'll Apparate someplace where I can help get things ready for the funeral. I don't know how long I'll be gone, though. Maybe a week, it all depends on how things go."

"I'm glad you'll be coming back," Harry smiled softly.

"Well, of course," Hermione let out a weak laugh. "I'm definitely coming back to finish the year. It's what I want and I'm sure they'd want it for me, too. I just hope I can keep myself together over the next few days. Right now, I'm feeling like I'm about to break down at any moment."

Harry could see how Hermione was desperately trying to stay strong. Her face clearly showed that there was a battle going on inside of her. "You'll be able to do it," Harry assured her. "And we'll all be here when you get back. We'll give you all the help you need."

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said gratefully. "You know, now that I think about it, you're the only one who hasn't told me that you're sorry or that everything will be okay."

Harry only shrugged in response. "I guess it's because everyone else says those things," he said. "After a while it sort of becomes annoying. I know everyone means well, but it's hard hearing the same words over and over again. I've definitely experienced it before so I didn't want to put you through the same thing."

"That's so thoughtful of you," Hermione glanced back out the window before letting out a huge sigh. "I suppose I should go pack some clothes. It'll be time for me to go soon."

"Then let's get you ready," Harry draped an arm around her shoulders, then they both headed for the door.

-----

About forty-five minutes later, there was a small crowd gathered at Hogwarts' front doors to say goodbye to Hermione. Harry, Ron, Alex, Ginny, and Neville, as well as Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid were there. The students were a bit stunned when they saw Remus Lupin walking up the path that lead to the gates. When he reached Hermione, he put an arm around her and gave her a sort of half-hug.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your parents," he said softly to her. "They must have been wonderful people to have raised a girl like you."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione sniffed.

"It's just Remus now, remember," Remus smiled.

One by one, everyone gave their goodbyes. Harry, Ginny, Hagrid, and Ron gave Hermione huge hugs each, while Neville and Alex hung back and merely nodded their heads in farewell. Even McGonagall and Dumbledore gave Hermione a quick hug.

With one last tearful look at her friends, Hermione set off with Remus towards the gates. Once on the other side they would then Apparate to their destination. As soon as they were out of sight, Ron turned to Harry with a serious expression on his face.

"We need to talk."

-----

**A/N:** I know, poor Hermione's parents. This is an important element of my story line, though, so you'll see how it fits in later. I didn't kill them off just for a little bit of drama. As always, please review.

**Next Chapter: **Hermione returns...Malfoy discovers a secret about Alex...Alex goes off the deep end


	22. The Claws Come Out

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. **WARNING!** There is a bit of harsh language in this chapter. Sorry if that offends people, but I don't think it's too, too bad.

Also FYI, the next few chapters will be covering this same day in the story. Yeah, it's a long day and a lot of stuff happens. You will be treated to nice, long chapters over the next few weeks.

By the looks of things from my notes, this story will probably make it to 30 or 31 chapters. It all depends on how things go towards the end. Just wanted to let you know.

**Chapter 22 - The Claws Come Out **

A full week went by without any word from Hermione. Harry and Ron hoped that everything was okay. They knew that Hermione's relatives were all Muggles, so maybe she was keeping her witch status fairly low-key. Regular correspondence via owl would have been highly suspicious. So they kept waiting patiently, trying their best to keep track of the assignments she was missing and struggling to do their own work (which was naturally more difficult without Hermione's help.)

Classes came and went on the eighth day of Hermione's absence. Harry, Ron and Alex were lucky enough to have a free block right before supper. They decided to go back to the common room for a bit of a break, as no one in their right mind would start their homework so close to supper time. The trio strolled through the halls, which were fairly empty at the moment. At one point, they rounded a corner and stopped dead in their tracks. They found the very last thing they had expected to see: Hermione coming down the hallway towards them, accompanied by Remus and Mad-Eye Moody. Hermione's face lit up when she saw them.

"Harry! Ron!"

Harry would have called out in return, but before he could he heard Alex next to him curse forcefully underneath her breath. He turned just in time to see her take an involuntary step backwards. By the look on her face, it seemed like she was suddenly afraid. Her eyes were wide and locked on the three people who were swiftly approaching. She glanced frantically from side to side, as if seeking some kind of escape.

"Sorry, guys. Got to go," Alex backed up another step. "Err…I need to visit the library before supper."

And without waiting for a response, Alex turned and disappeared so quickly around the corner, it looked like she had Apparated away. Harry and Ron both glanced at each other and gave a little shrug.

"I've missed you all so much!" Hermione exclaimed as she launched herself into Harry's arms, then into Ron's. When she pulled away, they could see her face quite clearly. She didn't look too bad, actually. A bit tired and slightly worn looking, but there was a hint of hope and a small smile. "I'm sorry I didn't write to you but things were so busy and it would have been really awkward. Most of my family doesn't know that I'm a witch, so I just thought…considering the circumstances…"

"That's okay," Ron waved his hand casually. "We're just glad that you're back."

"You look…better," Harry tried to search for an appropriate word.

"I'm starting to feel better too," Hermione sounded very relieved. "I really needed these past few days away. There was so much to do and go over, it was unbelievable. I think it also gave me time to get used to the idea. Not that I'll totally get used to it but now I can start moving on."

"And what are you doing here?" Ron turned to Remus and Mad-Eye.

"We both decided to bring Hermione back," Remus said, exchanging a significant look with Hermione. "There's lots more behind this story, but I think Hermione can fill you in on the details."

"Who was that girl with you, Potter?" Mad-Eye asked in his gruff voice. Throughout the entire conversation so far, he kept staring at the corner around which Alex had disappeared.

"Oh, that was Alex," Harry said. "Alex Reid. I don't know if Dumbledore talked to you about her. She's the one we rescued from the lake back in January. She's been staying with us for the past four months."

"I believe Dumbledore did mention her before," Remus recalled.

"Yeah, briefly," Mad-Eye said slowly, like he had a lot going through his mind. "Reid, eh? Where exactly does she come from?"

"We don't know, really," Harry hesitated slightly. "We don't know much about her at all."

"There's something about her," Mad-Eye narrowed his eyes in concentration. "Got a funny feeling that I've seen her before…"

"Now that you mention it…" now Remus was also looking at the corner with interest. For a brief second, Hermione and Ron's eyes met. She raised her eyebrow, indicating her interest in where this conversation was headed but Ron shook his head firmly, yet ever so carefully, indicating that this wasn't the time or place. No one else seemed to notice their silent exchange.

"So," Harry was suddenly eager to change the subject. "It'll be time for supper in a bit. We could head down early and use the time to catch up. Will you two be staying for a while?" Harry directed his question to the two older wizards.

"I suppose so," Remus smiled. "I'm sure we'll have lots to discuss with Dumbledore after a good Hogwarts meal."

"We're not going anywhere right now," Mad-Eye agreed.

"Great," Harry said. So the five of them set off towards the Great Hall, the three students talking to each other the whole way.

"It was pretty tough," Hermione described the past week to her friends. "The funeral was a large part of the planning. I was right, though. Mom and Dad did have some kind of arrangement. They'd laid out very clearly exactly what they wanted, so it wasn't too hard to carry everything out."

"You had mentioned 'other circumstances' before?" Ron asked.

"Yes," Hermione bowed her head and tried to look as unaffected as she could. "Apparently, it definitely was a Death Eater attack. There was a…a dark mark, too. A lot of my neighbors had their memories modified, being Muggles."

"Were any other houses attacked in your neighborhood?" Harry asked softly. Hermione shook her head and took a deep breath before she continued on.

"No," her voice shook with emotion. "I talked briefly with people from the Ministry one day last week. They believe, and I agree, that it wasn't just a random attack. The whole situation seemed to suggest that my parents were specifically targeted…maybe even attacked by Voldemort himself."

"Why?" Ron was so shocked, he forgot to flinch at the Dark Lord's name.

"Because…" Hermione didn't look like she could continue, tears had already filled her eyes.

"Because you're Hogwarts' Head Girl _and_ best friend of Harry Potter," Harry felt like someone was twisting his insides into knots. It was his fault Hermione's parents were dead! Voldemort had done it to get to him!

"No!" Hermione cried, as if she could read his thoughts. "Don't blame yourself, Harry. I'll always be your friend no matter what. If I had really wanted to protect myself and my family I would have left you guys years ago. You aren't getting rid of me that easily, you know. We're in this together."

"She's right," Ron nodded.

"Thanks guys," Harry mumbled. It was good to know that you could always count on your friends. They were a team, and a damn good one at that.

"Oh look, they're here," Remus called to his former students. The trio looked up as they approached the Great Hall and saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley waiting near the double doors.

"Mom, Dad?" Ron looked very surprised. "What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine," Mrs. Weasley said as she immediately hugged her youngest son. "Or at least as fine as it can be at the moment. We wanted to stop by and see dear Hermione and the rest of you all while we're here. How are you doing there, sweetheart?" Mrs. Weasley had swapped Ron for Hermione in an instant.

"I'm doing better, thank you," Hermione said as she returned the hug.

"That's wonderful! Arthur and I couldn't believe it when we heard the news."

"Your parents were fine people," Mr. Weasley said solemnly. "I don't think I've met a nicer couple of Muggles in all my life. It was an honour to have known them."

"Indeed, indeed," Mrs. Weasley finally moved onto Harry. "Goodness, gracious, Harry dear! You are getting so tall now, I hope you've been eating well. I know I don't have to worry about that when you're here at Hogwarts. So, Hermione," she flipped her attention back to the brunette. "Have you got yourself a place to stay once school is over? You know you're always welcome to stay at the Burrow for as long as you like. I know it can be a bit crowded at times but…"

"Actually…" when Hermione stole a quick glance at Harry and Ron, they all knew something was up. "I was getting to that part, but I didn't have a chance to bring it up yet. When I was home, I also had to figure out what to do with the house. Apparently there's only a few more years of payments on it, and then I would own it, that is, if I want to keep it. I haven't exactly decided what I'm going to do. It would be very expensive if I lived there alone…though if I had a few roommates…"

"You mean you'd want to share your house with us?" Ron seemed at bit undecided with the idea.

"Only if you'd want to," Hermione shifted nervously under everyone's gaze. "It's really a nice house. It has three bedrooms, four if I convert my father's study back into a bedroom. I don't think I'd want to keep it forever, but I don't know if I could sell it right now."

"I don't know, Hermione," Harry shook his head seriously. "With everything going on right now, I don't really feel comfortable making big plans like this. I'd rather just wait and see what happens first."

"I sort of agree with Harry," Ron mumbled, bowing his head apologetically. "I have no idea what I'm doing after graduation."

Hermione bit her lip and tried to keep the disappointment she was feeling from her voice. She was also a bit confused. Wasn't Ron the one harping about wanting to stay together after Hogwarts? "That's okay," she said, a bit over cheerfully. "It's a big decision. I shouldn't have surprised you with it. I don't have to settle anything right now, though. It can wait a little while."

"We'll see," Harry said, without much hope in his voice. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were staring at him and Ron like they had two heads each. Harry, however, just looked right back at them and slipped them a very quick and extremely subtle wink.

-----

Alex had retreated to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. There she had found a private spot to hide out in between the large roots of an enormous tree. The trunk of this tree was so wide, Alex wouldn't have been able to wrap her arms around it.

She desperately needed to talk with her friend, as she sometimes did when she was distressed. Luckily for Alex, her friend was there this early evening. It was like he knew she would be coming, so he was waiting patiently for her. He raised his head as he sensed her approaching.

"I could sense your anxiety from very far away," he said, as Alex settled herself down.

"Oh, I am more than anxious!" Alex nearly shuddered. "I am so many damn things right now, I feel like I'm going to explode! I just had to get out of that castle."

"Why, what has happened?" he asked with concern.

"Everything!" Alex cried. "It's all starting to fall apart. I don't know what's going on. I have no idea where I went wrong. I thought I was doing everything that I was supposed to but…"

"Why don't you tell me everything that happened today," he suggested.

"Oh the day started out just fine," Alex said in exasperation. "It's now that's the problem. Just a few minutes ago, everything nearly went to Hell. Potter, Weasley and I were walking to the common room and then suddenly Granger was there, flanked by two members of the Order! The bloody, shagging Order of all things! Well, I pretty much froze, I didn't know what to do. Worst of all, Moody was one of them and I could see him staring at me with that spooky eye of his. I could tell he was trying to see right into me. Then I panicked. I knew I couldn't stay there."

"Why not?" he asked. "You have managed to convince other people of your alter ego, many other stronger people, I might add."

"It was really not possible," Alex said. "Moody and Lupin never got the chance to see poor little Alex Reid recuperating in the infirmary back in January. I didn't earn the sympathy points from them back then. No, these wizards had no idea who Alex Reid was. I would have been too new to them. They would have asked the questions the others had long forgotten to ask. I would have been too suspicious to them."

"And yet you ran away from them, still managing to draw attention to yourself," he mused.

"What else was I supposed to do!" Alex exclaimed. "If I had stayed I would have faced a near interrogation. Granger's return caught me so off guard, it would have been Hell trying to answer so many questions without slipping up. I did the most logical thing I could think of."

Alex leaned back against the trunk and closed her eyes. She really needed to calm herself down a bit. Her friend gazed upon her with sympathetic eyes. He had never seen Alex so frazzled before. This was, by far, the worst state he had seen her in. He hoped that he could eventually calm her down just by talking with her. Alex needed to regain her focus before anything else.

"I see how hard this is on you," he said. "Could some of these feelings be guilt from the death of Miss Granger's parents?"

Alex opened her mouth a bit too quickly, like she was ready to deny such questions. Then her mouth clamped shut. Maybe he had a point. "I never expected it to feel like this," she admitted quietly.

"I think you are beginning to form attachments," he observed wisely. "You have been living with these people for four months now. You are, of course, becoming closer to them."

"But I can't," Alex said. "That's not part of the plan. It was just so hard on the day it happened. I mean, I knew they were going to die. It was all part of the plan, too. Then it happened and I got this sick, twisting feeling in my stomach. But I can't feel anything for any of these people, not when I have a job to do."

"I agree with you," he said. "You must remain on your side of this."

"Yeah," Alex fell silent for a moment, then suddenly was off on a tangent. "God, I hate this whole thing! Why did I ever agree to do it in the first place? Well…of course I know why but still…"

"You must be patient," he said in a commanding tone.

"I'm tired of being patient!" Alex slammed her foot against a tree root. "I can't take it anymore. I certainly don't belong here. It's like you said, I've been here for four months and I'm starting to go mad. Do you know how hard it is, sitting next to these people day after day? There are so many things I'd like to scream and shout at them, but I can't. Time here is going way too slowly. I can't believe it's only mid-May. I just want the others to get here so we can start this bloody war, then I can finally go home!"

"It would be too dangerous to deviate from the plan now," he warned. "Everything must go according to the plans. You know the others won't be here for another few weeks."

"Yes, I know," Alex clenched her hands into fists and took a few deep breaths. "I have to stick to the plan. I've already messed it up enough as it is. The others are counting on me and I won't let them down."

Alex's friend nodded in silent approval, glad to see that her state of mind was getting back on track. Alex felt her heart rate returning to normal. This was a very good thing. She really needed to stay in control of her emotions.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Much better," Alex agreed. "I can't afford to lose it now, not when I've worked so hard to get here. If my true identity is revealed, then that's it for me. I could very well end up dead if they find out who I really am."

"I hardly think that would happen," he said skeptically.

"It could," Alex said. "But I don't want to test that theory. I have a job to do and I will see it through, no matter what. And nobody is going to get in my way. Not Potter and company or anybody else from the Order. I will personally make sure that the little bugger is good and dead."

Alex paused for a moment, enjoying the comfortable silence between herself and her friend. "I'm ready," Alex said after a while. "I'm ready to do this and anything else I have to do. I don't think it would've been possible if it weren't for you. You've been my lifeline through this all, you know. If I didn't have you to talk to I'd probably be a psycho by now."

"And we wouldn't want that now, would we?" he joked. The two friends laughed.

Then, all of a sudden, Alex's friend became tense and alert. Alex frowned as she watched his head turn back and forth.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"Someone was near," he said with concern. "I can sense another human."

"Shit!" Alex swore as she scrambled to her feet. She scanned the nearby trees and school grounds but she couldn't see anyone. Whoever it was must have taken off. "Where are they? Which way did they go?"

"Towards the school, I believe," her friend said.

"Oh, God no," Alex sprinted for the school, hoping she could find whoever was eavesdropping in on her. She had to find them or this would be the end of everything.

-----

Harry, Hermione, Remus, Moody, and the three Weasleys were still outside of the Great Hall when they all noticed Draco Malfoy passing by. He was moving at a brisk pace and seemed very distracted, so much so that he didn't even notice the small group standing there, or some of the nasty glares he received. He just continued on, obviously on some kind of mission.

Not a minute later, Alex came tearing through the hall. She quickly noticed the group, but didn't take the time to stop. "Can't talk now, Potter," she shouted as she increased her speed even more. "Later!"

"I thought she was in the library," Ron frowned and turned to Harry.

"So did I," Harry said grimly. Something strange was going on around here. Warning bells were going off in Harry's head.

The four adults were looking slightly confused. The three students, meanwhile, were silently communicating with their eyes.

"We'll do this together," Hermione said. "Something is obviously wrong with her today. Three against one is better odds, anyway."

"You make it seem like we're going to fight her," Harry sighed.

"We'll be back," Ron said to the grown ups. Before they could ask any questions, the trio had already left.

"What is she up to?" Harry ranted as they tried to follow Alex's path. "Why would she lie about going to the library?"

"It almost seemed like she was afraid when she saw Lupin and Moody," Ron added.

"I don't like this," Hermione shook her head. "I've got a really bad feeling about this."

"Come on, Hermione," Harry nearly snapped at her. "You're not being very helpful here. Alex is our friend and it looks like she's really worried about something. She needs us right now."

Harry was so concerned with finding Alex, that he didn't hear Hermione's muttered reply, something about denial and a river in Egypt.

-----

Alex ran through the halls, desperately searching. She hoped that Potter wasn't following her, but she had bigger worries at the moment. She raced passed a few people, though Alex knew they weren't the ones. Whoever had been listening to her conversation wouldn't be lounging casually around the halls.

As Alex rounded one corner, she almost ran into someone standing in the middle of the hall. Screeching to a halt, Alex found herself face to face with Draco Malfoy.

"Whoa, easy there, Reid," Malfoy reached out and grabbed her shoulders to steady her. "What's the hurry?"

"Go screw yourself, Malfoy," Alex forcefully removed his hands. "I don't have time for idiots like you right now." Alex tried to step around him, but Malfoy simply moved to block her.

"But why not?" Malfoy asked smoothly. "How about it, Reid? Maybe it's time that you and I settle our differences. We could be friends, you know."

"I don't have anything to settle with you," Alex was growing impatient. He still wouldn't let her pass. The little eavesdropper could be getting away!

"Maybe you do," he gave her a suggestive look.

"Oh my God," Alex said. "What, you're tired of tormenting me now so you're trying to get into my pants again? I don't think that really worked too well the first time around. Besides, I'm pretty sure your 'equipment' is too small for the task."

"You'll never know for sure unless you find out for yourself," Malfoy replied. Alex just stared at him, like she was seeing him for the first time.

"You're disgusting!" she exclaimed. "But most importantly who are you and what have you done with the Malfoy I love to hate? Wait, don't answer that, I don't need to know." Alex finally managed to get past Malfoy, but he, for some reason, had stepped aside to let her go. She gave him one last strange look before she continued on her search.

"Seems like you're looking for someone," Malfoy called to her as she walked away.

"Can't say that's any of your business," Alex called back.

"Are you sure about that?"

Alex froze. There was something in his voice…she spun around and marched right back to him. "What do you know?" she asked, concealing her concern.

"More than you realize," Malfoy sneered. He was back. The cold, manipulative Malfoy was back.

"Tell me what you know," Alex commanded.

"Not much," now he was casually examining his finger nails. "Only that I overheard the strangest conversation just a few minutes ago. It took place outside, near the forest. It sounded very interesting."

"No," Alex whispered, the blood draining from her face.

"Oh, yes," Malfoy smirked. "What amazes me is that you were able to keep this whole thing a secret…at least until now."

"You aren't going to tell anyone, are you?" Alex asked.

"I don't know," Malfoy seemed to be thinking it over. He obviously enjoyed being in such a powerful position. "I might be able to benefit from this somehow. This information could be very useful."

"You will not tell anyone," Alex ordered.

At that moment, Harry, Ron and Hermione appeared from around the corner. They were shocked to see a smug looking Malfoy and Alex, who looked like she wanted to strangle him. The two were just standing there, facing each other in a silent standoff.

"Alex?" Harry asked softly. "What's going on?"

"I'll bet you Potter doesn't even know," Malfoy said gleefully. "What would he say if he found out…"

"SHUT UP!" Alex roared, causing Malfoy to step backwards.

"Careful, Reid," Malfoy warned. "You don't want to mess with me."

"You!" Alex exclaimed. "You won't be telling anyone about the things you heard."

"And just how are you going to stop me?" Malfoy challenged. His hand was reaching for his wand in his pocket, thinking that they were going to duel. Alex, however, had other things in mind.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and before anyone knew what was happening, Malfoy was thrown into the nearby wall.

"Alex!" Harry called out to her but apparently she wasn't listening to anyone. As Malfoy slid down the wall, Alex marched over to him and hauled him up by the front of his robes.

"I will stop you if I have to," she hissed in his face.

"I'll tell!" Malfoy screamed hysterically. "Touch me and I'll tell."

"You're pathetic!" Alex pulled back her fist and punched Malfoy in the face. He would have sunk down to the floor but Alex held him up for another punch. "You pathetic little weasel!"

"Alex!" Harry tried again, but it was no use. He tried to get to her but there was some kind of barrier shielding her and Malfoy.

Alex finally released Malfoy, only to let him sail across the hall and crash into the opposite wall. Again he slid to the floor. This time Alex settled for kicking him violently in his ribs.

"You are a weakling!" Alex cried. "You don't know anything. You'd run from danger if you came face to face with it! You're a sorry excuse for a wizard and a disgrace to your family!" With each insult came more kicks.

"Alex, stop it!" Harry called as he pounded on the barrier. Hermione and Ron were trying to find a way in but nothing seemed to work. To make matters worse, a small crowd had formed due to the noise and commotion. Many were staring at Alex in awe as she continued to attack Malfoy. By now, Alex was straddling his stomach and was repeatedly punching his face.

"You will never tell!" she screamed down at him. "You hear me? I've had it with you! You'll never tell!" By this time, Alex's hands and the front of her robes were covered in Malfoy's blood.

"Hermione, can't you do something?" Harry exclaimed.

"My spells aren't working!" Hermione cried. "I'm trying every one I can think of!"

"It looks like she's going to kill him," Ron said, his face very pale.

"ALEX!" Harry bellowed her name with as much force as he could muster. And just as suddenly as she had started the attack, Alex finally snapped out of her violent rage. She paused mid-punch, as if she were frozen. Then she looked up at the others. She stared at everyone for a second, like she was trying to figure out what was going on. When she looked back down, she finally seemed to realize what she had done.

In the blink of an eye, Alex was off Malfoy, backpedaling away from him on the floor. The horror over what had happened was written clearly all over her face. She stumbled to her feet and without any backwards glance, she took off down the hallway, leaving behind the still, blood covered body of Draco Malfoy.

-----

**A/N:** So...I'd say that if you haven't submitted a review by now, this is you chance. What are you waiting for!

**Next Chapter:**

_"You are working for the Dark Lord, aren't you?" Snape accused, quickly jumping in for the first opportunity to strike._

_"So what if I am?" Alex smirked._


	23. Captured

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Very sorry about the delay everyone. Here's a nice, long chapter for you to enjoy.

**Chapter 22 - Captured **

From Last Chapter:

"_ALEX!" Harry bellowed her name with as much force as he could muster. And just as suddenly as she had started the attack, Alex finally snapped out of her violent rage. She paused mid-punch, as if she were frozen. Then she looked up at the others. She stared at everyone for a second, like she was trying to figure out what was going on. When she looked back down, she finally seemed to realize what she had done._

_In the blink of an eye, Alex was off Malfoy, backpedaling away from him on the floor. The horror over what had happened was written clearly all over her face. She stumbled to her feet and without any backwards glance, she took off down the hallway, leaving behind the still, blood covered body of Draco Malfoy._

As soon as Alex had disappeared, Harry could feel that the invisible barrier was breaking down. When it was completely gone, he, Hermione and Ron all rushed forward and fell to their knees to examine Malfoy.

"I can feel a pulse," Hermione confirmed. "It's not very strong, though. He must have fallen unconscious before Alex left."

"So he's alive," Harry breathed in a sigh of relief.

"Can't say I like the guy but I wouldn't want him dead, either," Ron added weakly. "Merlin, there's lots of blood."

"That may be a problem, too," Hermione said, glancing nervously at Harry. "He needs help right away."

"Right," Harry nodded. He quickly scanned the small crowd that still looked frozen on the spot. "You, there," Harry pointed at a tall sixth year. "Run and get Madam Pomfrey as quickly as you can. Bring her back here. Tell her it's an emergency. And you," Harry pointed to a fifth year Slytherin. "Come here and stay with him until Pomfrey arrives. _Do not_ leave his side until she gets here."

"Where are you going!" Ron asked.

"I'm going to find Alex," Harry answered gravely as he got to his feet. "You guys can stay or come with me, it's up to you."

"Oh, we're coming," Hermione said.

"Harry!" Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Ginny pushing her way through the crowd. She took in the whole scene in a few seconds but kept a cool and calm face. "Is there anything I can do?"

Harry was about to say no, then suddenly remembered that the Weasleys, Lupin and Moody were still waiting down by the Great Hall. "Sure," he quickly explained to her. "Go down to the Great Hall. Moody, Lupin and your parents are waiting there. Get them to help you look for Alex. If you find her, don't hurt her. Just body-bind her, or something, and get her to Dumbledore's office."

If Ginny was surprised to hear that her parents were at the school, she did a marvelous job of hiding it. Instead she gave Harry a quick nod before leaving to complete her task.

"Let's go," Harry said.

"So where do we go first?" Ron asked as they started sprinting down the hallway.

"Back to the boy's dorms," Harry replied. "I'll need the map if we're going to find her in time."

"I hope we're not too late," Hermione said. "What if she tried to leave the school grounds?"

"But where would she go?" Harry pointed out as they ran up a flight of stairs. "I'm honestly more worried about her behavior today. Something really must be wrong."

"I wonder what it was that Malfoy knew," Ron thought out loud. "Obviously it sounded like it was important. Why else would she beat him to a bloody pulp? She's totally lost her marbles!"

"It could have been almost anything," Hermione said. "I suppose we won't find out what it was until we find her."

The three friends wasted no time once they reached Gryffindor Tower. They bolted up the stairs to Harry's room. Luckily Neville, Dean and Seamus were nowhere to be seen. Everyone was probably downstairs eating supper by now. Harry skidded along the floor to his trunk and ripped open the lid. He frantically started rummaging but after a moment he paused. Something was not quite right.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione was beginning to look frantic.

"This can't be right," Harry muttered to himself. Once again, he dove into his trunk, searching with even more desperation. "This can't be happening!"

"What?" Ron exclaimed.

"The map," Harry pulled his upper body out of his truck. His face was lined with disbelief and worry. "The map is gone."

"No," Ron breathed, his eyes going wide.

"Hang on a minute," Harry suddenly looked back into his trunk and rummaged a bit more. His friends heard a muffled curse. Now Harry's face had turned white. "My cloak's missing too."

"Your invisibility cloak?" Hermione gasped.

"Yes."

Ron swore under his breath, while Hermione dropped onto the nearest bed. "Oh, this is bad," she covered her face with her hands. "This is very, very bad. Who knows what she'll do now that has those things. She could go anywhere."

"What do you mean 'she'?" Harry asked defensively.

"Oh, wake up, Harry!" Hermione snapped in frustration. "We all know that Alex is the one who stole your things. It really isn't that surprising, you know, considering her brief history here. I'm just surprised that she hasn't pulled anything like this before."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Harry said as he slowly rose to his feet. "We don't know what really happened today. This could all be one big misunderstanding."

"Do you want me to slap you!" Hermione exclaimed. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ron had to cover his mouth so that he wouldn't burst out laughing. Images of Hermione bitch slapping some sense back into Harry flashed through his head. "You did see what she did to Malfoy, didn't you? You saw how she nearly killed him with her bare hands, didn't you? Well I did and this time I refuse to ignore it. You're just going to have to face it, Harry. Alex is not the perfectly innocent girl you think she is. She has one heck of a dark side, which she clearly demonstrated today."

The two best friends stood still as statues, while Ron watched anxiously from the sides. All of a sudden the situation wasn't so funny anymore. Hermione and Harry were both breathing heavily due to their growing frustration. They were glaring at each other, each convinced that the other was totally wrong.

As Harry continued to glower at Hermione, a brief, unexpected thought flashed through his mind: maybe he should just stun Hermione so he could go look for Alex himself. Harry froze as soon as the thought had passed. What was he thinking? Stunning his best friend! Harry shook his head briefly, trying to clear his mind of any other insane ideas. When he focused again on Hermione, he saw that she was looking upon him with concern. What was happening to him? Maybe Hermione was right. Maybe he couldn't see straight when it came to Alex. As much as he wanted to believe this, one last thought came to mind.

"I never showed her the map before," Harry said weakly. "How would she know where I kept it or my cloak?"

Hermione gave him a sympathetic look. She could see that he was starting to accept the idea, even though it was difficult for him. "There aren't that many hiding places in this room," she said. "And storing them in your trunk is sort of obvious. There's also the possibility that Alex spied on us. I mean, all those trips to the 'library' did seem rather suspicious."

"We know she probably didn't go there today," Ron added.

Harry nodded. His insides felt like they were falling apart. Apparently they had been played, duped and conned, him most of all. "Right now, Alex is our number one suspect," he said slowly. "She has the map, which means it'll be more difficult to find her, especially because of the cloak. Nobody in the school will be able to see her…except…"

"Except who?" Hermione frowned.

"Moody!" Harry exclaimed, feeling a rush of hope. "Back in Fourth Year, when the imposter Moody was around, I nearly got caught by Snape. I was underneath my cloak but Moody could see me, because of his magic eye."

"He should be searching the castle with Ginny now," Hermione understood. "Maybe they'll find her."

"And you know who else might be able to see her," Ron added. "Dumbledore. Remember back in Second Year when he and Fudge came to Hagrid's cabin?"

"I don't know if he could actually see us," Harry didn't want to get their hopes up. "He might have just put two and two together and suspected that we were hiding somewhere in the cabin. Then again, anything is possible."

Hermione nodded eagerly. "This is a good start," she said. "Maybe we should go see Dumbledore. I'm sure news of the fight has reached him by now. He'd probably appreciate being told about your missing things too, Harry. It might make the search easier if more people know what to expect."

"Sure," Harry agreed. "Let's go see him now."

-----

Harry, Ron and Hermione quickly made their way to Dumbledore's office. They had no idea how they were going to get in (no one knew his current password), or if he was even there, but they prayed for some kind of miracle. Someone, apparently, must have been listening, because as the three students approached the entrance they could see that it was already open. McGonagall herself was walking briskly down the stairs towards them.

"Mr. Potter," she looked slightly surprised, yet relieved to see him, Ron and Hermione. "Just the person I wanted to see. I hear that the three of you were witnesses to a particularly violent attack on Mr. Malfoy a short while ago. I was just on my way to look for you all. If you wouldn't mind, Professor Dumbledore and I would like a few words with you."

"That's fine," Harry said. "We were coming to see the professor anyway."

They all ascended the spiral staircase and soon entered Dumbledore's office. The old Headmaster looked like he was patiently waiting for them. He was staring up at some unknown point as if collecting and going over his thoughts in his head. He turned to look at the students when they came to stand before his desk.

"Ah, splendid," he said. Harry could tell that his voice lacked the usual twinkle it normally carried. This was serious. "You're all here. Please, have a seat."

The three students politely sat in the three seats in front of the desk, while McGonagall chose a seat just off to the side where she could face them. For one uncomfortable moment, Harry wondered how he was going to start this but thankfully he was saved by McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter said that they were already on their way here," she explained. "Perhaps you have some information you'd like to share with us?"

"Err..yeah," Harry braced himself for what he had to do next. "We saw the whole thing. We saw how Alex attacked Malfoy…"

"And she nearly killed him," Ron interjected.

"We think she was trying to protect some kind of secret," Harry continued. "We think Malfoy discovered something that she didn't want getting around. He made it seem like he was going to tell others about it and she panicked. She started hitting him to keep him quiet and it escalated from there. He ended up on the floor and she wouldn't stop punching him. Finally she heard me calling her name. That's when she ran away."

Harry stopped his explanation, afraid to go any further. Dumbledore seemed to sense this and gave him a soft encouraging smile. "And then what happened?" he asked Harry.

Even though he wanted to answer, his shame in himself wouldn't allow him. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like this was all his fault. Alex had stolen _his_ cloak and map. She was running around somewhere, and no one was likely to find her because of him. If he hadn't let his feelings for her take control of him, then maybe he could have seen this coming. He should have seen this coming. Now he just felt so blind and stupid.

Luckily for Harry, Hermione decided to jump in for him. "We went to Harry's room, Sir," Hermione said. "We wanted to…to look for things that might help us find Alex..."

"It's okay, Hermione," Harry couldn't quite look at anyone. "We were looking for my cloak, Sir, that and my map."

"Your map?" both Dumbledore and McGonagall looked puzzled.

What the hell, Harry thought to himself. Go big or go home. "It's my Marauder's Map. Dad made it with Sirius, Remus and Peter. It's a complete map of Hogwarts with all the secret passages and everything. It even shows where everyone is at all times."

Judging by the way that Dumbledore was raising his eyebrows, even he was a bit surprised by this new bit of information. Even Harry was amazed that something like this was kept from him for all these years.

"Extraordinary," Dumbledore said. "And you are sure it shows everyone's positions?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," Harry sighed, but then… "But Alex doesn't know the passwords, would she? She won't be able to use it if she doesn't know the passwords."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Ron warned. "She knew where to find it didn't she? If she knew that already, then she might know the passwords too. Or…maybe she's listening to us right now, hoping that we'll say them…"

"Don't be silly," Hermione whispered. "Professor, you would know if someone was listening in on our conversation, right?"

"Under normal circumstances, yes," Dumbledore said after a pause.

"So then we have nothing to worry about," McGonagall piped up. "I'd say it's safe to assume that we're safe in here."

No sooner had she gotten the words out of her mouth, when a sudden commotion could be heard from the other side of the door. There was shouting and the sound of hexes being thrown. Everyone in the office was immediately on their feet. They all had just enough time to turn around and face the door, when it suddenly burst open, revealing the three people who were standing outside.

"Alex?" Harry stared at the girl in disbelief. There she was, her hands tied behind her back, probably by invisible bindings. Remus had a hold of her right arm, while Moody had a grip on her other side. All three looked slightly tousled, like they had just had some kind of brawl. Indeed, Remus and Moody both looked like they had a few scratches on their arms and faces. Even the front of Alex's robes were still covered in Malfoy's blood. But most importantly of all, Harry noticed that Lupin was clutching something else as well as Alex's arm.

Half-wrapped around her upper arm was his invisibility cloak. And peeking out of his pocket was the Marauder's Map.

Before anyone in the office could recover, the two grown wizards forcefully pushed Alex through the doorway. She stumbled into the room, a huge silly smile spreading across her face. "Oh, is this where the party is?" she quipped. "Thanks so much, boys, I would have missed it. But I don't think we're dressed for the occasion. We're looking a bit scruffy here."

"Be quiet, girl," Moody growled at her and jostled her arm for good measure.

"Hey," she looked up at him and frowned. "Is that any way to treat your party guests?"

"He said be quiet," Remus said evenly. He made sure that his grip on her arm was good and tight.

"What is going on here?" Dumbledore asked in confusion.

"It seems this girl was camped right outside your door Albus," Moody replied. "And I'm not talking about the one at the bottom of the steps, I mean this one right here that we just barged in through. We were with Arthur and Molly and their girl, but we split up and when we came up the stairs I saw her crouching in the corner by the door. She was wearing that invisibility cloak and she had that thing in her ear."

Moody jerked his head towards the doorway and everyone leaned over to look. Harry stared in amazement at the long piece of pink looking flesh; an extendible ear! She must have swiped it from his trunk too, he just hadn't realized it.

"I don't think she was expecting anyone, and she certainly wasn't expecting me. As soon as I came near the top I could see her. I let Remus know, then together we attacked. She's quick I'll tell you. Didn't take her long to realize that she'd been spotted. Even caught by surprise, she still gave us one hell of a fight."

"I believe this is yours," Remus carefully shifted his hands so that he could reach out and hand Harry his cloak. Then he also handed over the familiar old parchment. Harry gazed at his things for a moment, then lifted his head to look at Alex.

"Oh, don't give me that look, Potter," Alex rolled her eyes. "It's not like I killed your puppy or anything. I was just borrowing them."

"You stole them," Harry corrected her coldly. "You went into my room and took my things without asking; that's called stealing in my books."

"Whatever," Alex snorted. "That's your definition of the word. Besides, I wouldn't have needed them forever, you know. There's a chance you would've gotten them back."

"A chance?" Harry fumed.

"What were you doing, hiding outside of the Headmaster's office?" McGonagall bristled.

"Waiting for an appointment," Alex drawled, earning her another shove from her captors. "Hey, watch it! You don't have to be so rough."

"Oh, I think we do," Remus said.

"Says you."

"Enough," Dumbledore said in a quiet yet commanding tone. "I think we all need to sit down and have a good talk. Now there are a few people who should probably be here. Professor McGonagall, if you could let Professor Snape know that he's needed here. I'm sure we could use an update on Mr. Malfoy's condition as well."

"Of course," McGonagall nodded.

"And perhaps you should find the Weasleys," Dumbledore added.

"Finding them might be somewhat difficult," McGonagall hesitated. "If there was some way to find them quickly…"

Harry only paused for a second, then reached inside his pocket. He pulled out the Marauder's Map and put his face close to the parchment. He whispered the passwords softly before offering it to his Head of House. McGonagall blinked in awe as she began to study its contents.

"Well, I'd never…" Harry could hear her whisper to herself. "Thank you, Mr. Potter. This will be most helpful."

"One more thing," Dumbledore stopped her before she left. "Miss Weasley should be escorted back to Gryffindor Tower. If you find someone to accompany her…"

"Hold on," Alex quickly butted in. "Ginny's not allowed to hear what we have to say?" Dumbledore and McGonagall exchanged a look that Harry knew all too well. It was the look all his professors used when they wanted to 'protect' the students from too much dangerous information.

"Perhaps these three could come with me and escort her…" McGonagall started, referring to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Three mouths flew open simultaneously. For crying out loud, they were in their Seventh Year. Seventh Year! Even Harry was nearly eighteen by now. They all were about to protest but someone beat them to it.

"What? You're going to send them all away?" Alex scoffed at the idea. "Let them stay. I don't care. Hell, I jerked their chains most of all, they deserve to hear the truth straight from the source."

"That will be fine," Dumbledore agreed.

"And we're not doing it here," Alex said firmly. "This place won't be big enough, I think. I refuse to talk about anything in here. Pick an empty classroom somewhere, anywhere, I don't care."

After a minute of debate, it was settled. McGonagall was off to find the others. Everyone else set off to prepare an empty classroom in one of the old, unused hallways.

-----

It didn't take long to get everything in place. They had arranged the classroom so that there was a half circle of eleven chairs facing one lone chair. Such a placement would allow everyone to see each other and Alex, the one who was facing the interrogation.

McGonagall arrived with Snape and the three Weasleys. It didn't take long to bring everyone up to speed. The Weasleys were stunned to learn about Alex and the others were relieved to know that Malfoy would be alright, despite having a few broken bones and losing a good amount of blood.

Soon the four students were sitting on one side of the half-circle, while the adults occupied the other seats. Alex, of course, had the seat of honor. She was currently strapped to the chair, again by magical, invisible bindings. Her attention was all over the place as she carefully examined the room.

"You won't find any means of escape," Snape informed her. "I can assure you that this room is secure. In any case, you'd be up against a room full of highly trained witches and wizards. You wouldn't stand a chance. And we are all shielded against any wandless magic you might throw at us."

"My, my, aren't we thorough," Alex replied.

"Well, now that we are all settled, perhaps we shall begin?" Dumbledore offered.

"Actually, I don't really feel like talking now," Alex did her best to look casual in her bindings. The entire group gaped at her.

"This was all just a stall tactic," Moody realized. "You made us change rooms to buy yourself some more time."

"Someone give the man a cookie," Alex would have clapped if could have moved her hands. "He solved the puzzle, he deserves a prize."

"Don't talk to him like that," Harry fumed.

"I'm sorry, should I apologize to him?" Alex mock gasped. "I would but…you know, I don't really feel like it so I won't."

"We shall begin," Dumbledore said again, with a warning glint in his eye. "This time we will start with the basics. Miss Reid, why did you hurt Draco Malfoy earlier today?"

The assembly waited for an answer with their breaths held. Alex, meanwhile, seemed quite calm. She appeared to be thinking, like she was trying to decide how to form her reply. It took a bit longer than expected. After a tense moment, an eerie, devious smile slowly spread across her face. It sent chills down several spines.

"_I hurt him because he overheard me talking about my secret plans_," she replied.

It was like an electric jolt went through the entire group. Every single person sprang to life; some started freaking out and all were talking at once. One person in the room, however, had sprung to life for a completely different reason. Harry had been calmly listening to Alex's reply when he nearly jumped out of his skin…

...because everyone around him had suddenly started to panic.

Harry looked between the chaos that had taken over the assembly and the cool, smug Alex who looked like she was enjoying every minute of it. It took a moment longer, but then it finally hit him like a tsunami.

Alex had just spoken Parsletongue.

"She's a Parslemouth," Harry breathed. Out of all the noise and commotion, Alex seemed to focus on Harry. Then she winked at him as if she had heard his comment.

"She's evil, that's what she is!" Ron cried from beside him. "Harry, I'm sorry, but being a Parslemouth is not good. You're the only exception as far as I know. I mean, You-Know-Who is a Parslemouth!"

As everyone slowly began to quiet down, Harry was hit with another revelation.

"You're the danger!" he exclaimed, wanting to kick himself for not seeing it earlier. Ron and Hermione both sucked in deep breaths, knowing exactly what was going on. He finally saw it now.

"What danger?" Remus asked, looking slightly confused. He wasn't the only one, either.

"The danger that Firenze and Sirius warned me about!" now Harry saw Alex in a whole new light. Those unaware of his latest dreams were a little worried about him, but Harry continued on anyway, despite the looks. "They tried to warn me that it was you, but I wasn't looking for the signs!"

"Wow, bravo, Potter," Alex cheered sarcastically. "It only took you four months to see what others in this room already knew. I'm dangerous! Snape knew it from day one and I had to spend so many hours working on Granger here."

"I knew it," Snape hissed and Hermione looked like she had been stabbed in her gut.

"You must be working for You-Know-Who."

"What are you doing here? What are your orders?"

"You will tell us everything that you know."

"Please, everyone," Dumbledore raised his hand to stop the landslide of questions. He gazed coolly around the room as he waited for silence. "Now that I have your attention, I think the most reasonable thing now would be to stay calm and ask questions one at a time. But it seems only fair to me that Miss Reid here deserves a chance to explain herself. So Miss Reid, you get the first word."

"I'm not telling you anything," Alex scoffed.

"So be it," Dumbledore appeared to have expected that particular reply. "We will begin with questions, one at a time."

"You are working for the Dark Lord, aren't you?" Snape accused, quickly jumping in for the first opportunity to strike.

"So what if I am?" Alex smirked, apparently confirming everyone's suspicions.

"Oh, Merlin," Molly Weasley clasped the sides of her face with her hands.

"And what exactly are your orders?" Arthur said, placing a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders.

"I can't tell you. That's confidential," Alex evilly raised an eyebrow to the other four students, who all bristled at her old phrase. So that's what she had meant by that!

"I don't think you have any other options, Miss Reid," McGonagall was looking very aggravated.

"Oh, I have lots of options," Alex shrugged. This only seemed to aggravate McGonagall even more.

"If you are going to be difficult, then we will just have to turn the tables," Snape glared at her as he stood up and made to leave. "There are other ways of making people talk. I will return momentarily."

"It won't work," Alex said to his back. Snape paused in front of the door and slowly turned around with a deep frown across his face. "You were going for Veritaserum truth potion, weren't you? Well, I'll be nice and save you the trip. It won't work."

"Impossible," Moody snorted.

"I'm telling you, it won't work on me," Alex warned. "You'd just be wasting your time and your serum. I don't think you'd want that right now."

Snape and Dumbledore glanced quickly at each other. Was she telling the truth? What did Dumbledore think about it? For one of the few times in his life, Snape could see uncertainty in Dumbledore's eyes. He didn't know! And with the way things were going today with this girl, Snape was willing to bet that she was indeed telling the truth. This girl seemed to be full of surprises. So with great bitterness, Snape reluctantly made his way back to his seat.

"Smart move," Alex congratulated him. "That only would've given me more time to stall."

"I said there were other ways of making people talk," he snapped at her. "There is more than one method that we can use."

"And that would be…"

"Azkaban."

All heads turned to stare at Snape in astonishment. That he would even suggest that option was unbelievable. That, by far, had to be one of the most frightening choices available. The only person who seemed unaffected was Alex.

"Bring it on," she challenged. "I have to warn you, though, I wouldn't be afraid to go to Azkaban. You'd be wasting your time…again."

"You must be lying," Remus said. "That place would scare the wits out of you."

"You want to try it and see how far it gets you?" Alex asked. "That place doesn't scare me and neither does death. I'd rather die anyway before telling you anything. Death would be preferable, in my opinion."

Curse this girl, and curse themselves for believing everything she said. But deep inside they knew they would be fools not to trust her. It was something in her eyes. No one could tell what she was thinking but they knew just by looking into her eyes that she was dead serious. They were stumped and she knew it.

"Look," Alex tried to lean forward in her seat. "I'll tell you how things are going to go from here. You are going to untie me and then you will let me go. I get to leave the castle and you will never see me again."

"I'm afraid that won't be acceptable," Dumbledore shook his head slightly.

"Well, that's all I'm offering." Then, after a moment's pause, a sudden change passed over Alex's face. Now there was a dark glint in her eye as she gazed long and hard at everyone.

"You will do as I say," she said in this harsh tone that was so unlike her normal voice. "You will release me, or each and every one of you will die horrible and painful deaths."

"Is that a threat, Miss Reid?" Snape said in a near whisper.

"It's a promise," she returned icily. "I swear to you that if you keep me here, he will come with his loyal followers and he won't stop until you are dead. He won't just kill you either. He will make sure that you suffer before you die, and even after you are dead he will make sure that your body is mutilated beyond recognition…"

"Enough!" Snape shouted. "Your scare tactics will not work here!"

"Seems to me like it already has," Alex smirked, noticing the many pale faces and the hands that were gripped tightly together for support.

They were in deep, serious trouble here. Everyone knew it as they exchanged nervous looks across the half-circle. They were immersed in this battle of wits and they were losing big time. Everything they tried to hit Alex with was thrown back into their faces. The girl could not be intimidated and she had no visible vulnerabilities. How could they crack the one person who had nothing to fear? Worst of all, she knew they had nothing.

"So, Potter," Alex turned to mock the younger side of the assembly. "You and your pals have been awfully quiet. Care to join in, or do you just have nothing at all to add? Any more useless suggestions? I'd love to hear them."

Harry really wanted to strangle her. He wanted to wipe that smirk right off her face. He had to do something and he had to think fast. So he tried to clear his mind and picture the events of the past four months. There had to be a clue somewhere, there just had to be! Alex wasn't perfect, she had to have made mistakes somewhere along the way. He only had to find it. Harry's mind floated through recent and older memories, looking for the right one.

It came so suddenly, it nearly knocked him over in his chair; one image that was now inexplicably clear above all others. It was from the hospital wing, the day when she first woke up. He could see her panic, he saw her break down…he could see her skid across a floor covered with glass just to get to a secret item hidden away in the box by her bed. A second image quickly followed. It was Valentine's Day. Harry and Alex were standing by the balcony in the Owlery. Alex's hand was clenched in a fist, holding some unknown object for comfort.

That was it! The mystery object! Why hadn't they thought of it before? Why hadn't they asked her about it?

With a sense of urgency, Harry locked eyes with Alex and wouldn't let her go. This had to work. "Alex," he said carefully. "Hand it over."

"Hand what over?" Alex asked. Harry was delighted to see a brief flash of concern in her eyes, even though it was quickly covered up.

"Whatever it is that you keep in your pocket," he told her impatiently. "You cut your knees into pieces looking for it that day in the infirmary, that first day we all met. I know you had it in your hands that night on Valentine's Day. I'd bet you always carry it with you. It must be something special and important, or you wouldn't have tried so hard to keep it hidden. Whatever it is, you will hand it over right now."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex quickly looked away.

"Yes, you do," Harry persisted. "If you don't hand it over yourself, then we'll stun you and search you until we find it. And this time, we're the ones who are being serious."

Finally the table had turned. For the first time in a long time, Alex seemed to be truly frightened. She was fighting it, for sure, but there was nothing that would hide the fear radiating from her eyes.

"The charades have come to an, Miss Reid," Dumbledore said. "Tell us what we need to know, or we may have to confiscate this object of yours."

"I can't," Alex shook her head desperately.

"We can wait here all evening," McGonagall challenged her. "We won't be leaving this room until this business is settled."

"It seems you are finally out of options, Miss Reid," Snape sneered.

Alex hung her head so that no one could even get a look at her eyes. She was contemplating her next move. She could wait a long time too, but eventually someone was going to give in first and the odds were definitely not in her favor. How much longer could she keep it up? How much longer when she was already so tired of fighting? What if it were all over…

"My name isn't Reid," she barely whispered.

"Well, I could have told you that," Hermione rolled her eyes knowingly. "So who are you really?"

"We already know who she is," Ron scoffed. "She's a DADA maniac, excessively trained on a broom, and has one of the nastiest tempers I've ever seen."

"Ron, now's not a good time," Ginny sighed.

"So let's hear it, then," Hermione folded her arms, waiting for an answer. "Let's have your real name."

No response. Alex still sat with her head to the floor. Just when Hermione was about open her mouth again, they heard some more muttering coming from Alex's direction. "Oh, they are going to kill me…"

Then Alex raised her head, her eyes clear with purpose and her chin raised in pride.

"My name is…"

-----

**A/N:** Please review, people. I really, really mean this. There are only a few people who actually review (and I love you guys who do.) I know there are more than a couple of people reading this story. Reviews are the only feedback I get from you guys. Please take that into consideration.

**Next Chapter:** You'll just have to wait and find out!


	24. Truth

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Some of you may hate me for this. I can honestly say I don't care. It's been a blast!

And thanks a million for all the reviews. I really do appreciate them.

**Chapter 24 - Truth**

_From last chapter_:

"My name isn't Reid," she barely whispered.

"Well, I could have told you that," Hermione rolled her eyes knowingly. "So who are you really?"

"We already know who she is," Ron scoffed. "She's a DADA maniac, excessively trained on a broom, and has one of the nastiest tempers I've ever seen."

"Ron, now's not a good time," Ginny sighed.

"So let's hear it, then," Hermione folded her arms, waiting for an answer. "Let's have your real name."

No response. Alex still sat with her head to the floor. Just when Hermione was about open her mouth again, they heard some more muttering coming from Alex's direction. "Oh, they are going to kill me…"

Then Alex raised her head, her eyes clear with purpose and her chin raised in pride.

"My name is Alexandria Potter. I'm from the future and Harry Potter is my father."

Now, there are certain times in one's life when one can have a sort of out-of-body experience. These experiences are usually triggered by a very surreal or life changing moment, something so out of the ordinary one has to think 'I thought stuff like this only happens in the movies.' The entire situation is perfectly clear, but it feels like you are watching it from the outside. You can imagine how you must look and the next thought that goes through your mind is 'I wonder what I'll do or say next.'

This was definitely one of those moments. And even though everyone was staring dumbly at Alex, they all could see the frozen tableau in their minds. They knew how stupid they must have looked, but it didn't matter. Their brains were still processing that last one bit of the conversation.

And quite surprisingly, after over a minute of complete silence, it was Ginny who finally recovered enough to say something.

"That's it?" she asked incredulously. "Four months of lies and secrets and that's the best you can come up with? You're Harry's daughter?"

"You did escape from St. Mungo's!" Ron exclaimed. "Right from the psycho wing with crazy Lockhart."

"It doesn't even make any sense!" Hermione said. "I don't see how this could be possible."

"It sounds like a cheesy plot from a bad fanfiction."

"Even I could come up with a more convincing excuse."

"It's not logical."

"Why did you even try?"

"I would laugh in your face, but somehow I don't think that would be very appropriate right now."

"Alright!" Alex huffed. "I know it doesn't make sense but I'm telling you the truth, I swear. You have to believe me!"

"Oh, really," Ginny's eyes narrowed. "After we've just found out that you've lied to us for the past four months? So we're suddenly supposed to trust you after everything that you've done. Do you honestly think we're that gullible and stupid?"

"No!" Alex cried. "You're none of that. I know my record here hasn't been the best. That was then, that was what I had to do…I don't expect you to understand what has happened. I just need everyone to trust this."

"Trust is something that must be earned," McGonagall said curtly. "Whatever trust you did have is now gone. You have lost it and I highly doubt that you can earn it back."

Alex looked from face to face and could only see the same thing: disbelief and uncertainty. How was she to do this when no one was on her side? "Please," she pleaded with them. "I really am Alex Potter. Why would I lie about something like that?"

"Because a lie like that has potential," Moody said. "That name has a lot of power, you could use it to your advantage. Or maybe you were hoping to catch us off guard."

"You aren't listening to any of this, are you?" Remus glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Of course I'm not! I'm just trying to figure this crazy girl out here!"

"Let's just keep calm," Molly reasoned. "We can't sort anything out if we lose our focus."

"I think our focus is long gone, Molly," Arthur said.

"Perhaps we should try the Truth Serum," Snape suggested quietly to Dumbledore.

"I doubt that will be very useful at this time," Dumbledore softly shook his head.

"You all aren't listening to me!" Alex was beginning to look desperate once more, only now it was for a different reason. She knew something had to happen and it had to happen fast. Otherwise the plan was still in jeopardy. She had to convince at least one person of her true identity. She knew these people, they were her family. If one person believed, then that would create a domino effect, making believers out of everyone. But first, someone had to listen!

"Ginny! Ginny!" Alex nearly begged. "You had an imaginary pet dragon when you were younger. Charlie was so into dragons and it sort of rubbed off on you. It didn't stick around for long, but for a while it was your best friend."

Ginny seemed to hesitate. "Everyone in my family knew about that," she said. "It's not like it's a huge secret or anything."

"Ron," Alex instantly turned to the other Weasley teen. "What about that lesson you learned at Christmas time when you were ten? You never went snooping for your presents after that, did you?"

"How…" Ron stared at her in amazement. "How did you know about that? I never told anyone about that."

"You see?" Alex beamed excitedly. "I know these things because I grew up around you guys. I'm not reading your minds, you guys would know if I had. I learn these things in the future."

"What lesson did you learn, Ronald?" Molly asked, her arms folded across her chest.

"I always knew that Ron was the most trustworthy when it came to not snooping," Arthur mused quietly. "I just never knew why."

"Sure, it's all about Ron," Ginny rolled her eyes.

Meanwhile, Hermione was looking at Alex with a curious expression. It was like she was trying to evaluate the truthfulness of her claims, and she could find the answer just by staring at her. She gazed right into Alex's green eyes, and at one point Alex returned that gaze. And in that brief connecting moment, Hermione caught a glimpse of something that was eerily familiar. She had seen that look before, only it had been someone else's emerald green eyes. She suddenly gasped, as piece of the puzzle suddenly came into place.

"Ron…" Hermione said slowly. "DADA maniac, trained on a broom, nasty temper…Ron you just described Harry too! Alex is just like Harry!"

"What!" Ron cried, and Harry shot her a nasty glare.

"No really, think about it!" Hermione started getting excited. "Can't you see it? Harry and Alex share so many of the same qualities, it's just that Alex is a bit more extreme sometimes."

"Thank you, Hermione!" if Alex could have kissed her she would have, but unfortunately Alex was still tied to her chair.

"Hermione, are you sure about this?" Ron frowned at his best friend.

"I think so," she replied breathlessly. "I mean, it still doesn't make much sense, but I think it's true. Can you prove that you're Harry's daughter? And…wait a second. Did you just call me Hermione?"

"Yes," Alex said in relief.

"But you've never called me Hermione. You've never called any of us by our first names."

"And you have no idea how hard that's been!" Alex sagged a little in her chair.

"Why…"

"I'll explain later," Alex sighed tiredly. "Right now I need to convince everyone else that I'm me."

"You have weaved one incredible tale, whatever your name is," Dumbledore said cautiously. "You've been able to close your mind to us for months now. I can no longer tell if you are telling the truth or not."

"I agree," Snape glared at Alex.

"Please trust me, Professor," again she leaned forward as far as could go. This time, Alex focused her gaze at Dumbledore. She stared at him willingly, with wide, unblinking eyes. Dumbledore stared at her in return, waiting for whatever was coming his way. They stayed connected like this for several seconds, until there was a subtle hitch in Dumbledore's deep, calm breaths. His gaze changed slightly, like an invisible veil had been lifted and now he saw everything clearly.

"Sir?" Snape looked at him with questioning eyes. When Dumbledore didn't respond at first, Snape too glanced at Alex. When he did, he also caught a glimpse of something, like a quick image flashing through his mind. Snape nearly gawked openly at Alex. She just nodded and gave him a quirky half-smile.

Meanwhile, everyone else in the room was wondering what in the world was going on between the three of them. Then finally…

"As hard as it may be to believe, I think Miss Potter here is telling the truth," Dumbledore said with the usual twinkle in his eye.

Alex wanted to cheer out loud. Most of the tension in the room was starting to melt away, as people in the room were beginning to realize that this whole thing might not be a trick after all.

"You mean you're really from the future?" Arthur asked.

"This is amazing," Remus gasped.

"If Dumbledore's convinced, then I'm convinced," Moody said.

"Merlin!" Ginny grinned from ear to ear. "This is so wicked!"

"How is this possible?" McGonagall looked shocked.

"Oh, this is too much," Molly fanned herself with her hand.

"Bloody hell!" Ron muttered under his breath.

"Just a minute," Alex interrupted the multiple comments. There was one person in the room who hadn't said a word in the past several minutes, ever since Alex had revealed her real name. And in all the chaos and confusion, no one had even noticed. That person, in Alex's opinion, was the most important person of all.

"Wait a minute," Alex repeated. "This is wonderful and everything, but I need one more person to believe me."

Everyone turned to look at Harry, who had been sitting so stiffly the entire time. When they saw his expression, they nearly gasped. Harry's face was filled with such anger, they wondered how they and Alex could have possibly missed it. Or maybe Alex hadn't missed it; maybe she had been waiting for the right time to turn to him.

"I know this is hard for you to swallow," Alex said softly. "I probably wouldn't believe me either, if I were in your shoes. I'm just asking you to consider the possibility."

"How dare you," Harry hissed icily, throwing everyone off guard. "How dare you come here and use my family's name as a cover. You have no right to do that. I never thought you people could sink so low…"

"Whoa!" Alex exclaimed. "I'm not the bad guy here. I'm just trying to…"

"Shut up!" Harry shouted. "I don't want to hear your excuses. Everything you've ever told me has been a lie, hasn't it. Everything! I have no reason to trust someone like you."

"Please, Harry," Alex said gently. Harry sucked in a quick breath at the sound of his name. It seemed so different coming from her. "Nothing here matters if you don't believe me. I need you to be on my side. I can't do anything if you're not with me on this."

Everyone watched in silent fascination as Alex pleaded desperately with her eyes. It seemed to have little effect on Harry, who still remained angry and annoyed. "No daughter of mine would have behaved like you did," he reasoned coldly. "She would not talk to people with such disrespect and she definitely would not attack someone until he was almost dead."

"I know," Alex hung her head in shame. "I'm so sorry about that. I didn't mean to hurt Malfoy, I just couldn't allow him to tell anyone that I was a Parslemouth. Not that it did any good, everyone still found out in the end…but…I guess I really have no excuse."

"There is nothing you can say that will change my mind about you," Harry told her. "You can try and talk your way out of this but it won't work."

Alex bit her lip in concentration. That was just it; she needed the perfect piece of knowledge to convince him. She needed something that was deeply personal, something that only she as his daughter would know. And if this didn't work, then Alex would officially be screwed. So with a great deal of hope and finger crossing, Alex picked her weapon.

"I know about the mirror," she whispered. _Please, God_, she thought to herself, _let this work._

"You mean the mirror Harry and I found back in First Year?" Ron wrinkled his forehead in remembrance. "Even I know about that one. That's not a huge secret."

"Not that mirror," Alex said carefully, nervously glancing at everyone else in the room. Harry was about to say something, but Alex quickly cut him off by switching to Parseltongue. "_I'm talking about the mirror that Sirius gave you the Christmas before he died. It was part of a set. There was a note on the back of it, explaining that he also had one. He and Grandpa Potter used them to talk during detentions._"

"_I never told anyone about those_," Harry unknowingly responded in the same tongue.

"_Well, you did break it, didn't you, when you realized that it wouldn't work?_" Alex pointed out. Harry opened and closed his mouth in shock. How could she know about this? It was impossible unless…

Alex kept her eyes on Harry's and saw the subtle change in them. She was starting to get to him. She was not quite there, though she was very close. "_You never knew what your parents looked like when you were growing up_," she plunged on. "_Vernon and Petunia never had any pictures of them around the house. You never really knew what they'd been like as people, since they were never discussed. There were even times when you…when you wondered how much they had loved you._"

Harry wanted to yell at Alex, to tell her to stop, but found that his voice wouldn't work. Something was stuck in his throat, so he just listened to Alex as she continued on in a voice that was becoming thick with emotion.

"_You had no idea how much because they had left you. If they had really loved you, then maybe they still would have been around. When you grew up a bit, you stopped thinking like this because it didn't matter. You knew that you were pretty much alone without any family and that was how things were. Then you came to Hogwarts and found the Mirror of Erised. Suddenly, you saw your family for the first time and you knew just by looking at them that they had loved you very much. It was one of the biggest moments of your life._"

No one but Harry and Alex could follow along with the conversation, but that had been the whole point. As Alex talked, everyone carefully watched Harry's reactions. Anger and stubbornness had eventually melted away into cautious doubt, which had eventually turned into astonishment. By the end of Alex's little speech, Harry's eyes were wide and shimmering in awe.

"I've never…ever told anyone about that," Harry said. "No one."

"You tell me," Alex gave Harry a little smile. "In the future when I was…or will be a little girl."

"What about the map?" Harry suddenly remembered, grasping at one final straw. To hell with keeping the Marauder's Map a secret. They were nearing the end of their 7th year, it wasn't like they'd have many more opportunities to use it. "Your name on the map said Alex Reid, not Alex Potter. I saw it myself."

"Well, Harry, I do happen to know one of the original creators of that map," Alex inclined her head slightly towards Remus. She was desperately trying hard not to laugh because half the people in the room looked completely confused. "It wouldn't take much for me to make a few changes…"

"What are they talking about?" Arthur whispered, but Molly quickly shushed him quiet.

The entire group waited with their breaths held, wondering what Harry was going to say or do. The ball was in his court right now, and everything was up to him. Seconds passed by and still nothing happened. Then…

"Oh, God," Harry's face suddenly went ghostly white. Everyone else thought he was going into shock, but Alex knew better. She could see it in his face. It wasn't shock that took his breath away, it was horror. At that particular moment, Harry just remembered the three little words he had said to Alex the night of the ball; his awful, embarrassing confession.

"_It's okay_," Alex reverted back to Parsletongue in order to protect his pride. "_I told you; you were confused. I knew you loved me…just probably not in the way you were thinking. You have to admit, though, it is kind of funny_."

Funny? More like one of the worst moments of his entire life. This could not be happening. But then Harry looked into Alex's eyes and saw how at ease she was with the whole thing. It didn't matter to her. To Alex, it was just something to laugh at; a sort of Back to the Future, Michael J. Fox kind of deal. At least she was able to see the humour in this. Apparently, she didn't inherit her sense of humour from him.

"I believe you," Harry finally declared. "I think I might be insane, but I believe you."

For the first time ever, a huge, ecstatic smile spread across Alex's face. No one had ever seen her wear anything but a sarcastic smirk. This was real; there were no secrets or hidden agendas behind it, it was a pure and honest smile. It totally changed her face; now she truly looked like Harry's daughter.

"Thank you, Harry," Alex exclaimed softly. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

Harry didn't trust his own voice at the moment, so instead he gave her a nod and a shaky smile.

"Wait a minute," Remus said thoughtfully. "Moody are you thinking what I'm thinking? Did you see…"

"Did I see it?" Moody asked. "Yeah, so that explains it."

"Explains what?" Alex looked at them curiously.

"Your look," was all that Remus said. Apparently, though, it was enough for Alex to understand.

"Ah, I see," Alex nodded. "Well…if you can finally untie me and give me back my wand, I'll show you something cool."

Moody's hand hesitated slightly has he reached for Alex's wand in his front robe pocket. Alex just rolled her eyes and grinned at his antics. "Oh, come on, Moody," she teased him. "I thought we had agreed that I wasn't a spy for Voldemort."

"You got an attitude like her, too," he growled as he glanced quickly at the others, making sure that everyone was okay with it. Then he pulled out two wands and used one of them to untie Alex's binds. He tossed the other one to Alex after she took a second to rub her sore wrists. With a bit of a swish, she tapped her own head with her wand. Everyone waited patiently for a second, then they saw something happening to her hair. A deep, reddish color was working its way down from her roots to the ends. In a few seconds, she no longer had her chunky blonde and brown hair. Now she was a vibrant red head. Several people in the room gasped at her new appearance.

"She looks like Lily," McGonagall said what most were thinking.

"I know," Alex beamed proudly. "I guess you know now where I get my green eyes from."

"How come we never saw it before?" Harry wondered, a bit unnerved that he was now looking at someone who so closely resembled his mother.

"Because you were never looking for it," Alex shrugged easily. "You had no reason to suspect that I was who I was. I just thought that you would all want to see this. I think it's pretty cool."

And with another simple tap to her head, Alex's hair started changing back to its original color.

"So which is your natural color?" Ginny asked.

"Not telling," Alex winked at her. "It'll be a surprise."

"Now that we have your identity all settled," Dumbledore gently interrupted. "I think there are many other questions that need to be answered."

Alex let out a little sigh. "Yeah, I think you're right."

This sudden change in the conversation made Hermione sit upright in her seat. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed like something had just slapped her. "Oh…my…God. You're from the future! We can't be having this conversation right now. Professor Dumbledore, this is going against…oh, we are breaking so many rules here. We're going to be in so much trouble if we…"

"Whoa. Hermione," Alex held up both hands. "I think we're way beyond the point of no return. You guys screwed things up the moment I was forced to tell my real name."

Hermione looked horrified. "But we didn't…"

"Hermione," Alex said. "I was joking, okay? It was just a joke."

"But still…"

"I know," Alex sighed. "I know the rules and I won't reveal anything too important. But seriously, I don't think there's anything we can do now, unless you want everyone here to have their memories erased. Otherwise, I say we proceed with caution."

"As long as you keep that in mind, I see no harm in continuing," Dumbledore smiled, almost mischievously. "And I think the first question on most minds would be: how were you able to get here?"

"Yeah," Ron looked very puzzled. "You must have come…wow, at least twenty years back. Unless Harry has a secret girlfriend we don't know about."

"I do not!" Harry gave Ron an indignant glare.

"Well…" Alex started out slowly. "Harry was pretty close to the mark a little while ago." She carefully reached into her robe pocket and pulled out a small bundle of cloth. Everyone watched in anticipation as she gently unfolded the corners…and revealed small, ordinary looking matchbox.

"Behold, my mystery object," Alex extended her hand so everyone could get a better look.

"It's just a matchbox," Harry said. Talk about your anticlimax.

"Actually," Alex grinned furtively. "There is one other person in the room who knows exactly what this is."

"Really?" Ginny's eyes lit up. "Who?"

Giving a slow, dramatic gesture with her free hand, Alex kept everybody in suspense until she finally pointed towards Hermione. Hermione froze; her eyes were locked with Alex's. She took a deep breath.

"No way," Hermione exhaled. "It can't be!"

"Hermione, what did you do!" Ron looked at her accusingly.

"I didn't do anything!" Hermione exclaimed. "At least not yet."

"But what is it?" Harry asked impatiently.

"This," Alex held up the matchbox until it was level with her eye. "Is something that Hermione should explain to you herself. Would you care to do the honors?"

"Okay," Hermione said in a slight squeak. "Uh…I got the idea a couple of years ago when…oh, never mind. I was thinking about time turners and how they worked. You know how they always take you back to where you were at the time you go back to? Well, it occurred to me that time turners could only work for short term travels through time. You couldn't, for example, go back to a time before you were born because there would be no place for you to appear. You wouldn't have existed yet. And then I also realized that when a person goes back they normally have to relive the amount of time they jumped back…so if you jumped back a long time, years even, you would be stuck far in the past and would have to relive most of your life over again.

"So I came up with this idea for a time key, something that would combine the magic of a time turner and a portkey. That way a person could travel through time and go wherever and whenever. They would also be able to return to their original position in time. And I thought that an interesting design would be…a matchbox."

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.

"But I didn't do anything yet!" Hermione blushed scarlet. "It was just an idea."

"But you will make it eventually," Alex said.

"Her brain is full of surprises," Harry mused humorously.

"Amazing," McGonagall gasped. "So that answers how you got here but why are you here, exactly?"

Alex hesitated a bit. "That one is a bit complicated," she said carefully.

"Let me guess, you wanted to save the world," Snape sneered viciously. "It sounds so much like Potter and his band of trouble makers."

"Excuse me?" Alex blinked angrily while Harry, Ron and Hermione sent him nasty glares.

"Apparently I am the only one who sees something wrong with this situation," Snape continued. "If your story is indeed correct, which it probably is, then that means you have committed a serious crime. Not only have you traveled back in time but it appears that you have the intention of changing a certain event. Why else would you be here?"

"I'm here for a very good reason," Alex was on the verge of losing her patience.

"Oh, I'm sure you are," Snape snapped sarcastically.

"Severus," Dumbledore said in a warning tone.

"I am sorry Professor, but I refuse to sit here silently any longer," Snape exclaimed. "This has gone on long enough. Now we have the next person in the Potter line trying to get away with murder, just like her father and grandfather before her. What gives her the right to be here? She thinks that just because she's a Potter, she can do whatever she pleases. She can even change time if she wants!"

"Shut up!" Alex cried.

"How DARE you speak to me like that!" Snape bellowed.

"I mean it. Shut up!" Alex shouted right back at him with a huge disbelieving look across her face. "There are a couple of things I need to say to you, Severus Snape. Hey!" she held up her hand to silence him when he tried to interrupt her. "When I tell you to shut up that means you sit there and you listen to what I have to say. I'm going to give you a modified version of the speech I gave you back when I was in my first year at Hogwarts.

"First of all, I want to say that I am not my father. I am also not my grandfather and neither is Harry. I'm sorry that my grandfather was cruel to you back when you were in school, but that's life. Try going to school as the daughter of the Boy Who Lived and see what that's like. You have to get over it at some point, you are a grown man!

"Secondly, I want to point out that even though my grandfather did make your life a living hell, you owe him so much more than you realize. It's like you keep on forgetting that he saved your life that one time. And then on top of that, he died trying to save Harry from Voldemort. You know Voldemort would never have gone after my family if YOU hadn't told him about the prophecy. So from the way I see it, my grandparents are dead because of your big mouth. If Voldemort hadn't known about the prophecy, then maybe I'd still have my grandparents alive. So me and Harry could easily turn this whole thing around on you and hate you for all eternity for what you did. We won't though, because we're the bigger people.

"And the third thing is that you have no idea what the future is like for us. You guys think you have it bad with Voldemort? Well, we have someone so much worse, it would make you sick knowing the things he's done. Our world is being torn apart, so don't you dare judge us for wanting to do something about it."

Alex finally paused to catch her breath, since she was quite worked up by now. As she sat there, breathing heavily, she and Snape just stared at each other for the longest time. Snape was doing a marvelous impression of a stone gargoyle. No one dared say a word, they were too afraid that one of them would explode or hex the other to death. Not one person had ever ripped into Snape like that, not even Harry, though he had come very close.

The seconds ticked on, and Ginny even pulled out her watch and started counting. Then finally…

"Maybe you could enlighten us?" Snape said in a strained tone. Everyone released their collectively held breaths.

"What would you like to know?" Alex said calmly.

"Well, for starters, who is this person who's supposedly worse than Voldemort?" Moody asked gruffly.

"A wizard named Salazar," Alex said, just waiting for everyone's reactions. She certainly wasn't disappointed.

"Salazar!" several people exclaimed.

"What do you mean by Salazar?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"He's the Dark Wizard of the future," Alex recalled grimly. "He's caused way more deaths than Voldemort ever has. His main goal is to kill off all the Muggles in the world and start again with just wizards, sort of an apocalypse kind of deal. He even calls his most loyal followers Horsemen, like the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I think he likes the irony of the Muggle and biblical connection."

"How has he managed that?" McGonagall gasped.

"He took a page right out of history and created this type of plague disease that only affects Muggles," Alex explained. "It's really a clever idea, in a twisted sort of way. It works really well too. The thing just sweeps right through Muggle areas and wipes them all out. I'm telling you, it's worse than the Black Death ever was."

"So he's a powerful wizard?" Remus asked.

"Well he did get his power from Voldemort," Alex rolled her eyes in a "go-figure" motion.

"What!" Harry exclaimed. "You mean Voldemort gave someone else his power? How?"

"Oh, God," Alex buried her face in her hands. "I'm not explaining this very well. Okay, at some point, Voldemort is defeated and he dies. But you know that even if a witch or wizard dies, his or her magic or essence is still left behind. That's how wizards are able to become ghosts. Anyway, after Voldemort's death his body was stolen. No one was too worried about it at the time. It's nearly impossible to harness that leftover magic, and it's a matter of figuring out exactly how to do it. No one really thinks about it after someone's dead. But then, years later, this wizard showed up, claiming he had the power of Voldemort. Turns out he was right. He had all of Voldemort's powers and memories too. He ended up calling himself Salazar after Slytherin."

Everyone in the room just gave Alex these confused, questioning looks.

"Okay," Alex sighed. "Maybe it'd be best if I just showed you."

"And how would you do that?" Harry frowned. When Alex touched her wand to her head, many people in the room knew what she had in mind. Alex paused for a moment and closed her eyes. She stayed like that for a few moments, like she was going through a few things in her mind. While she was preparing, Dumbledore produced a rudimentary Pensieve for her. When she was ready she opened her eyes and accepted the pensive.

"Thank you," she said. Pulling her wand away from her head, she transferred a long, silvery looking string into the Pensieve. "I've put one of my memories in here that should explain pretty much everything. I took a moment to change anything that you guys really shouldn't know. And let me stress that it doesn't mean a thing if you do or do not see yourself in this memory. Everyone's pretty much fair game for living…and dying at this point.

"So, if you all want to, we can go into the memory and take a look. I have to warn you, though, what you see won't be pretty."

"It's okay," Harry put on a brave face. "We're ready for anything."

"Okay," Alex said. "Let's go then."

And as a collective group, everybody leaned forward and dipped a finger into the pensive. Soon the room was empty, its occupants having disappeared into Alex's memory.

-----

**A/N:** Anybody see that coming? Maybe, maybe not. So Alex is not evil or a Death Eater. I'm really making an effort to write a different twist on the whole 'time travel' plot.

As always, please review!

**Next Chapter:** What happens in Alex's memory of the future?


	25. Memory

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks so much for the reviews. Here's my longest chapter yet, I think. And Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians. Happy Columbus Day to all Americans.

**Chapter 24 – Memory**

_From Last Chapter:_

"_So, if you all want to, we can go into the memory and take a look. I have to warn you, though, what you see won't be pretty." _

"It's okay," Harry put on a brave face. "We're ready for anything."

"Okay," Alex said. "Let's go then."

And as a collective group, everybody leaned forward and dipped a finger into the Pensieve. Soon the room was empty, its occupants having disappeared into Alex's memory.

When all twelve members of the group finally landed on their feet, they noticed that they were in a space quite similar to the room they had just left. Evidently, by the look of things, they were still at Hogwarts, only it was sometime in the future. The room appeared to be another unused classroom, full of dust and dirt from months of neglect. The main difference between this room and the previous one was the huge, long table that was positioned in the middle of the space. As the group got a better look at who was currently at that table, most of them gasped in surprise.

"I know," Alex said quietly to the others. "Just stand back and watch. Things are about to get very interesting."

So every one of the observers backed up against one of the walls to give everybody a clear view of what was happening. No one could believe their eyes. There were seven people sitting around the table: Mr. Weasley was at the head of it, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Remus were along one side, and Ron, Hermione, and Alex were along the other.

Of course, only the two Alex's looked exactly the same. Everyone else seemed so different. McGonagall appeared to have developed that old, wise aura that Dumbledore was well known for. Snape, Remus and Mr. Weasley both had a few more wrinkles and a bit less hair, but other than that they still looked good and fit.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, however, was Ron and Hermione. Both appeared to be in their early 40s, yet they seemed to be in the prime of their lives. Ron was still as tall as ever, though the rest of him had filled out nicely. So instead of being a tall and gangly teenager, he was a tall and strong man. And Hermione…oh, Hermione! She was definitely a beauty. Her hair was still long and full, but it fell in soft, smooth waves down her back. All the baby fat was gone from her face, leaving her with such a beautifully shaped face. It's often said that many people don't grow into their looks until they get older and these two were no exception.

Even though everyone in this future group looked fine physically, there was still something wrong with the expressions on their faces. At first glance, one might be tempted to say that they were simply tired. That might be true, but a closer look would reveal that there was much more going on here. These seven people weren't just tired, they were completely exhausted. It almost seemed like they hadn't slept in days, which probably wasn't that far from the truth. The atmosphere in the room was so tense; it was like they were waiting for a bomb to explode or something similar. Everyone was very edgy, probably due to stress.

"I hope he comes soon," Future Ron sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't want to continue on until we know it has been done."

Everyone at the table nodded in agreement.

"He's not going to be happy about it," Future Alex warned.

"Well, too bad," Future Hermione said dryly. "He'll just have to live with it. You're here and that's that. If he wants to argue about it, I'll set him straight. I'll even smack him around if I have to."

"Hermione!" Future Remus raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I believe her," Ron said wearily. "He'd better hurry up, anyway."

Just at that moment, the door to the classroom opened and an older version of Harry slipped into the room. Everyone from the "past" group got another big surprise. What was it with these Hogwarts students becoming so good-looking when they get older! Harry was also broader and his hair was still wild, though it gave him a kind of handsome roughness. That, in combination with the fact that he obviously hadn't shaved in a couple of days, gave him a look that certainly would have turned a few female heads.

Before he had even shut the door, Future Harry stared long and hard at Alex. She looked like she knew what was coming. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Why aren't you with the others? Does your mother know you're here?"

"I told you," Alex gave a little smile to the others. "He's not happy."

"Of course, I'm not happy…"

"Harry, sit down," Hermione semi-ordered as she pointed to an empty chair. "We don't have time for this right now. I asked Alex to be here, and besides, nothing's happening at the moment. Why can't she be here?"

"Fine," Harry sighed as he sat down next to his daughter. "Have it your way. I know better than to stand in your way when you have some plan going on."

"I have nothing planned," Hermione scoffed. "Now can we get down to business?"

"Good," Mr. Weasley said. "So how's everything coming along?"

"Not too bad," Harry said grimly. "Tonks and Ginny have finished securing the last of the students. We don't know if the barricades will hold. They'll keep them out for a while if they come…but if the rest of Hogwarts falls…"

The "past" group had a hard time understanding what was going on, but everything seemed clear to the "future" group. They nodded in response. None of them appeared to be very enthusiastic.

"In other words, if Hogwarts falls, they'll be dead anyway," Alex said bluntly.

"I still say they should have been taken elsewhere," Remus shook his head.

"And where do you suggest they go?" Snape asked a bit impatiently.

"It was a difficult decision, Remus," McGonagall finally spoke. "Those students really have nowhere else to go. Hogwarts, for the moment, is their last resort."

"The decision has been made," Mr. Weasley agreed, with a hint of finality in his voice. "We'll have to live with the consequences and we can't change our minds now. I suggest we go over some of the recent progress reports and bring everyone up-to-date."

"Right," Ron said as he glanced through a stack of papers in front of him. "I wish I could say that I have good news to report but I really don't. In fact, I almost don't want to tell you what they say…"

"Ronald," McGonagall gently interrupted.

"Right," Ron sighed. "So here it is. As of last night, the death tolls are steadily rising. Canada's now at seven million, America's at fifteen million, China's said to be at twenty two million, but that's a very conservative estimate. It's expected to be much higher but they're having trouble trying to keep up with the numbers. Let's see, there's India at ten million…I could go on but it's all pretty much the same."

"Merlin!" Mr. Weasley shook his head sadly. "It's unbelievable; completely unbelievable. Who would have thought such a thing was possible."

"How can he do it?" McGonagall looked stunned. "How can one person be responsible for such suffering?"

"The whole of Europe is pushing forty five million," Ron said darkly. "He certainly isn't wasting any time."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Harry got up and opened it, revealing a young wizard standing on the other side. This man, who couldn't have been much older than Alex, looked like he was out of breath, like he had been running to get there. Harry stepped aside to let him in. As he entered, Harry shot Ron a quick, worried look. Whatever this was, it would not be good. This wizard was much too troubled about something.

"Sir?" he struggled to catch his breath as he tried to focus on Ron, who slowly stood up from his chair. "We just heard…it just came in a minute ago…a scout came…"

"What is it?" Ron's face turned deadly white.

"It's the French troops, sir," the young wizard managed. "And the German troops. They've been defeated. It's doubtful there's anyone left."

Everyone was absolutely silent, totally convinced that they had misheard what was said. France and Germany? Both of them?

"Are they sure?" Ron forced himself to swallow.

"Yes, sir."

No one really knew what to say. They knew what this meant and it was horrible news at a time like this. In reality, it was everyone's worst nightmare. They knew it might happen but they had hoped with all their might that it wouldn't happen. Now that it had, no one was prepared for what would likely happen next.

"How long ago?" Ron asked in a strangled tone.

"Maybe a few hours ago," the young wizard replied uncertainly. "The scouts weren't really sure."

There was something going on with the messenger. He continued to stand there hesitantly, like he wasn't ready to leave the room yet. It was like he had something else to say, something that was far worse. But what on Earth could be worse than the news they just received?

"What is it?" Ron reluctantly asked.

"Someone also reported that St. Mungo's is gone," if the young messenger could have crawled into a crack on the floor, he would have done so at that very moment. Everyone gasped collectively and women held their hands over their mouths.

"Gone?" Ron's voice cracked. "What do you mean gone?"

"I mean it's gone," the messenger said. "It doesn't exist anymore, there's nothing left. He destroyed the place."

"Thank you," Ron said in a tone that was obviously a dismissal. The messenger quickly left, he was so eager to get away.

As soon as the door closed behind him, everyone let loose. McGonagall and Hermione let out little sobs of grief.

"I can't believe…" Hermione said through her tears. "How could he target St. Mungo's? Why? How?"

McGonagall covered the rest of her face as she broke down and huge sobs shook her entire body. A stunned Remus turned to her and pulled her to him, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. Snape and Mr. Weasley each wore frozen masks as they tried not to show their pain. Hermione launched herself into Ron's arms. She wasn't even trying to stop the steady flow of tears. Harry held onto one of Alex's hands for dear life, like they would slip away into a deep darkness if either ever let go.

Finally, Mr. Weasley seemed to snap. His fist came slamming down onto the table, making nearly everyone jump.

"DAMN IT!" he bellowed, totally out of character. Hermione turned her tear-stained face towards him in awe. "This isn't right. He's gone too far this time! Salazar must be stopped!"

"I agree," Snape said coolly. "But it is easier said than done. With France and Germany gone, we have lost our last major allies in this war. The time has come to face the fact that we are alone. There is no one else to help us."

"What about the Canadians?" Remus asked hopefully, as McGonagall finally pulled away from his shoulder. "Or the Americans?"

"The Canadians can't help us now," Ron said regretfully. "Neither can the Americans. They both have their own problems to deal with. Salazar made sure of that. He made sure to strike at our allies first, so we'd end up in this very situation."

"What can we do, then?" McGonagall asked the one question on everyone's mind.

"I don't think there is much we can do," Ron nearly whispered. In other words, things were pretty much hopeless. They had run out of options by now. They had tried everything they could think of to defeat this monster and his band of followers, but nothing had worked. And now that the future looked so bleak, would anyone have the courage to continue on until the end?

The group from the past, who were still standing against the wall, gazed incredulously at the group from the future. Everything about them seemed so defeated. No wonder they looked so tired. They had obviously spent a long time fighting this war and it clearly showed. Even their spirits had taken brutal beatings during the course of the war. They were broken people and nothing, it seemed, could save them now.

"We have to do something," Harry decided to end the silence. "We can't just sit here and do nothing."

"What do you propose we do, Harry," Remus said weakly. "It's clear that Salazar has cut us off by our legs. Now that we have no allies and no support it will be easy to come in and defeat us too. I wouldn't be surprised if he and his troops were already on their way here."

"Once he has defeated us there will be no stopping him," Snape added darkly. "We are the last army in Europe to stand against him. When we are gone, he will finish what he has started."

"That won't happen!" Harry exclaimed. "We can't let him kill all those people. He's mad if he thinks his plan of killing off Muggles will work."

"It's working so far," Remus hated to admit it but it was true. "His disease has killed millions of Muggles and more will die everyday. He won't stop until they're all dead."

"I refuse to stand here and let this happen," Harry said. "I know that we're probably going to die before the end but I'm not going to make it easy for him. Years ago we all stood up to Voldemort and we won. I'm not saying that we'll win this time; we'll probably lose but we're not known for giving up. And even if there is the slightest chance that we can win, even if it's only one in a billion, then I want to take that chance. We have some of the most brilliant minds of our time here in this room. Now you can't tell me that we can't think of something we can do to give us an edge."

"We've been through it a million times before, Harry," Ron reminded him. "We've tried to find a weakness, tried to find anything of use but it's no good. You know he's always one step ahead of us in everything. I've tried my best but there's only so much I can do. We can't defeat him on our own."

"I wasn't blaming you Ron," Harry shook his head in apology. "I'm sorry. I guess I can't accept that we're nearing the end."

A solemn atmosphere washed over the exhausted group. Harry's words echoed loudly in everyone's hearts; no one really wanted to give up but what other choice did they have? It was a very mind-numbing experience.

"How did this happen?" Mr. Weasley said softly, gazing at some spot beyond the table. "How did we come to be here? There must have been signs; there had to have been. But we missed them somehow and now everything will be destroyed."

Up until this point, Hermione had remained quiet since they had heard of St. Mungo's destruction. Now she was sitting stiffly in her seat, staring into space like Mr. Weasley. Unlike Mr. Weasley, however, Hermione's eyes were slowly narrowing in anger and hatred. Alex, who was sitting next to her, happened to glance over and was shocked to see that her hands were clenched into fists, like she was about to punch something…or someone.

"Hermione?" Alex asked softly.

"Salazar is not going to win," Hermione said icily as she focused her powerful eyes on the rest of the group.

"And why is that?" Snape inquired curiously.

"Because I have something that no one else has," Hermione reached inside her robe pocket and pulled out a small object, which she promptly placed on the table for all to see.

It was a matchbox exactly like the one that Alex from the past had.

"What is that supposed to be?" Mr. Weasley looked between Hermione and the matchbox.

"This little thing is going to save everything," Hermione said with all seriousness.

"But what is it?" Mr. Weasley asked again.

"This is one of my little projects," Hermione explained. "Back when I worked in the Department of Mysteries I developed this object right here. I call it a Time Key. In short, this thing can take a person anywhere they want to go, in any point of time. They can even return to their original point in time after they're done. You take a match from inside, light it, tell the match where you want to go, and then it takes you there. Think of it as a Time Turner and Portkey combined into one tool."

"You can't be serious," Harry gaped at her.

"So this is what you were doing with your time at the Ministry," Ron said, as everything slowly came together. "No wonder you put in so much overtime! And I suppose that's why you were always so secretive about your work."

"It had to be confidential," Hermione shrugged.

"But I thought the Ministry building had been totally destroyed," McGonagall said. "And you haven't worked at the Ministry for several years. How did you manage to save one of those?"

"Actually, this is only the prototype," Hermione explained. "Only a few were ever made, but the Ministry decided to cancel the project. All the Time Keys were destroyed, though I managed to save the prototype and I've kept it hidden ever since."

"Hermione!" Ron reproached.

"What?" Hermione gave him an odd look. "Like I was really going to let them destroy years of my hard work. Besides, I've never used it. I only brought it with me today because I thought it might come to this."

The whole group stared at her with wide, horrified eyes.

"You mean to use this now?" McGonagall shuddered at the idea. "You mean to send someone back in time to stop Salazar from winning this war?"

"I mean to send someone back in time to stop Salazar's entire existence," Hermione's eyes gleamed with determination.

"Hermione," Mr. Weasley started carefully. "You do realize what you are saying, don't you? What you're proposing would change the entire course of recent history."

"Isn't that the whole point?" Hermione challenged.

"Yes, but there are certain rules that we have to consider…"

"Rules!" Hermione nearly laughed out loud. "Do you think that Salazar was playing by those rules when he decided to play God? He is literally trying to eliminate Muggles from the world! Do you think that's fair? Do you think that's right? What gives him the right to play with so many lives like that? He's obviously not playing by any rules, and if he is then they're all his own. I say we stop worrying so much about these bloody rules and start playing dirty ourselves. We'll never win this war if we play it safe and play it fair. Besides, all's fair in love and war, isn't it?"

It wasn't everyday that Hermione vented like this, so needless to say, she had everyone's undivided attention. After the initial shock wore off, Snape was the first to recover his voice.

"I think Hermione may be right," Snape said slowly. "Clearly our strategy up until now hasn't been working. Perhaps we need to go in a different direction."

"And how do you propose we do this?" McGonagall asked almost fearfully.

"Well for starters, I have given this a bit of thought," Hermione said dryly. "This is me you're talking to, after all. I thought that a good time to go back to would be one day before Liberation Day."

"Liberation Day!" Ron laughed at the irony of it all. "The day that Voldemort was defeated. Wonderful choice!"

"Laugh all you want, but it's the most logical choice," Hermione said. "That's when everything started anyway. We know that Voldemort's body was captured not long after the ceremonies. If we can send someone back to that particular day, then that person can stop it all from happening by making sure that Voldemort's body and soul is properly destroyed. Salazar can never harness his powers if Voldemort is completely gone."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Remus asked.

"I've done my research," Hermione assured him. "I've got a spell that should do the job nicely."

"There are still ethical issues behind this decision," Mr. Weasley reminded them all. "By committing such an act we will indeed be changing history. We have no way of knowing what will happen as the result of such change. How do we know things will change for the better?"

"Arthur," Hermione gazed at him almost harshly. "I honestly can't imagine a world worse than this one. The alternative has to be better. Look around us. There are millions dead in the world and we are nearly on death's doorstep ourselves."

Mr. Weasley nodded in understanding. Well, when one put it that way… "There's still the matter of who will go. Sending more than one person would be dangerous and the person who does go would have to be extremely careful."

"I agree," McGonagall said. "They must not be seen by anyone. It will not be an easy task."

For a few moments, the group just sat there in silence, each wondering who would be the best person to send. Hermione, however, didn't have to think about it, and looked directly at Harry.

"Hermione, if you suggest that I go I will hex you," Harry warned her.

"I wasn't going to suggest you," Hermione smirked.

"Good, I've had enough of the hero business," he muttered in return.

"I do have to mention the sign, though," she replied.

"What sign?"

"Arthur, you remember talking about the signs," Hermione abruptly turned to talk with Mr. Weasley. "That we should have seen the signs? Well, they were there, we just didn't see them. Or we didn't understand them at the time. How many of you remember the _Enemy_ prophecy: _the world will not know peace until the soul of the enemy has been destroyed, and only the blood of the One Who Lived shall cast the required spell._"

Everyone suddenly realized what that prophecy truly meant. It was Trelawney's third and finally prophecy and she had made it just days before Liberation Day.

"It wasn't referring to Voldemort after all," Snape said apprehensively. "It was referring to Salazar all along. He has the soul of the enemy…and the one who lived…"

"And that's my cue," Harry sighed.

"So Harry will go back to stop this?" Remus looked a bit doubtful. "I don't know how well that would work."

"My point exactly," Hermione agreed. "Which is why I would never suggested Harry in the first place."

"Then who…?"

"Dad's blood runs in my veins," Alex spoke for the first time in ages. Her voice was quiet yet firm as she finally realized why Hermione had asked her to come here. "I'm a Potter, too."

"No," Harry said immediately. "Absolutely not!"

"Absolutely not what?" Alex asked.

"You know perfectly well what," Harry told her. "You're my daughter, I know what's going through that mind of yours because I had the same kind of thoughts when I was your age and younger. You are not going back into the past to save the world, young lady."

"Harry," Hermione gently interrupted, knowing this was a tricky situation for him. Risking his own life was one thing, but sitting back and watching his daughter risk hers was something entirely different. "Harry, the spell will only work if one of you reads it. One of you has to do it. It's the only way."

"So then I'll do it," Harry argued.

"Yes, but think about it," Ron piped up. "If Alex goes back, no one will know her. I mean, she still needs to stay out of sight, but if anyone were to see her they wouldn't know who she was. Harry, on the other hand, you would be too easy to recognize. And imagine what would happen if someone found an adult Harry running around Hogwarts."

"Dad, don't I get a say in this?" Alex asked.

"No."

"If I may offer my opinion…" Snape intervened. When no one objected, he continued. "I would like to say that I have taught quite a number of dunderheaded students over the years, many of whom were not capable of completing the simplest of tasks. Miss Potter, however, has always surpassed my expectations in my class. Whatever challenges I presented to her, she always finished them efficiently. If anyone is capable of completing this particular task, it is Miss Potter. I have total faith in her abilities."

"Thank you Professor Snape," Alex smiled gratefully.

"It'll be difficult, won't it?" Harry asked ruefully. "You said that Time Key was only the prototype. Is it even safe?"

"I only got it working at 85 efficiency," Hermione grimaced, but she wasn't about to lie to her best friend. "You know me, though, I'd never be happy with less than 99.9. I managed to get that with the actual models…but, well, they're obviously not around anymore. This is all we have to work with."

"85?" Harry scoffed. "So there's a 15 chance that something could go wrong. What if she gets back there but she can't come back to this time? What happens then?"

"I don't know," Hermione tried to remain patient. "It's a risk we'll have to take. 85 is not that bad. And what's the alternative anyway? Just standing around here, watching while Salazar destroys us and then the rest of the Muggles?"

"I don't know anymore," Harry seemed to be getting very tired of fighting. He slouched back in his chair and covered his face with his hands for a moment. Everyone waited for him to say something. Eventually, he dropped his hands in exasperation. "Okay, we're not getting anywhere here. What does everyone else say about this?"

"I think Hermione has a point, mate," Ron said hesitantly.

"I agree," Remus said. "As much as I would hate to see Alex in any danger, I think she would be the best person for the job."

"You know she already has my confidence," Snape added.

"If we must do this, then so be it," McGonagall said reluctantly.

"Can I just pretend to hold my hands over my ears and not listen to this?" Mr. Weasley gave a weak laugh at his sorry attempt to make a joke.

"Well, then…" Harry started slowly as he spoke to his daughter. "I know you can handle yourself in any situation. Maybe you should give this a chance too."

"How about it, Alex?" Hermione finally asked the big question. "Will you do it?"

"Hmm…let's see. Throw myself into danger in order to save the world?" Alex mused with a hint of bitterness and sarcasm. "Hell, why not? What else is a Potter good for?"

Harry reached out and took one of Alex's hands to give it a squeeze. He knew exactly how she felt.

"Alright!" Hermione quickly pressed the matchbox into Alex's other hand. "You keep this with you at all times, you hear me? Never let this out of your sight. Unfortunately, there are only two matches in the box; one for the trip there and one for the trip back, so don't lose either of them or you may not be coming home. Like I said before, light one match and say clearly where you want to go, the place and the exact date. I wrote the spell that you need on a piece of parchment. It's in the box too. It all has an indestructibility charm on it just in case.

"When you arrive in the past, keep out of sight. There'll be a lot of people around, so be very careful. After the battle is over, you'll have to find some way of getting close to Voldemort's body before it's taken away. When you can, read the spell, then get back here as soon as you can. The spell will be the hardest part. Don't speak to anyone whatsoever, even if they see you. If you absolutely have to, lie about who you are and everything. But you won't let it come to that will you?"

"Of course not," Alex looked determined, even though there was small flash of uncertainty in her eyes.

Before Hermione could say anything else, a huge explosion came from somewhere within the castle. Everyone suddenly froze in wide-eyed fear. A second explosion caused Harry to bolt across the room and throw open the door. His wand was in his hand before he even crossed through the doorway. Looking this way and that, the others in the room could see a few people running by in clear panic. Harry reached out and grabbed a middle-aged wizard by the arm.

"What's going on?" Harry ordered, though he had a sick feeling that he already knew.

"They've gotten into the castle!" the man cried. "Salazar and troops are here! We don't know how he did it, but somehow the castle's barriers are down! They're Apparating in from everywhere! We don't know how to stop them!"

The others in the room were on their feet in an instant. McGonagall, Snape and Remus had their wands drawn and they were practically flying out of the room in pursuit of the intruders. Ron was not too far behind. He paused quickly by Hermione's side, just long enough to give her a significant look and a quick kiss on her cheek. Then he hugged her close against him in a swift embrace and whispered something into her ear. Suddenly he was gone, leaving Hermione standing there with tears in her eyes.

"You'd better get going," Harry said to Alex, who was just standing there in shock. She only nodded in response.

"Alex, I need you to promise me something," Hermione said suddenly.

"What?"

"I need you to promise me that you will go back to the day before Liberation Day, and only that day," Hermione's mood was now deeply serious.

"Okay," Alex said with slight confusion.

"Promise me!" Hermione grabbed Alex by her arms and gave her a little shake. "You can't go back on any other day. You can't change anything else in the past besides what you need to. Don't get any bright ideas about changing this or changing that. We have to change as little as possible. The rest of us will survive anything that happens. We'll live through it."

Hermione looked so desperate by this point, Alex couldn't say no even if she wanted to. "Alright," she said in understanding. "I promise I won't change anything else."

"Good," Hermione pulled Alex close and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. "I know you can do it."

Hermione turned and left the room but waited just outside the door for Harry. Alex turned to her father and didn't quite know what to say.

"Alex…" Harry started uncertainly.

"Dad!" Alex cried as she flung herself into his arms. Harry held her quietly for a long moment, trying to keep his emotions together.

"I never thought you couldn't do it," he whispered softly to her. "I just want to know you're safe."

"I know!" Alex exclaimed as she buried her face into his chest.

"I know you'll be brave," Harry told her. "You're just like your mother, you know. Beautiful and fearless."

"Oh, God," Alex pulled away slightly. "Mom. She won't know…I won't get to say good-bye!"

"It's okay," Harry tried to sooth her.

"I won't get to tell her I love her," Alex said fearfully.

"She already knows," Harry smiled softly. "And you can tell her when you get back."

"I love you, Dad."

"I know," Harry winked at her before giving her one last hug. He pulled away, then turned to join Hermione in the doorway. The two old friends turned to look at each other.

"Just like old times," Hermione said, with a hint of sadness.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Harry replied in a similar tone. Suddenly they were gone, off to join the others in the battle.

Alex was left standing in the middle of the classroom. For the longest time, it didn't seem like she was going to do anything. Her hand was closed tightly around the matchbox. All she had to do was open it and take out a match. Something, though, was obviously going through her mind. The sounds of explosions were still echoing through the halls, a grim reminder of what was going on in other parts of the castle.

The group from the past watched as Alex stuffed the matchbox away in her robe pocket and grabbed her wand. Her eyes were narrowed as she started walking through the door and down the hall in the direction the others had gone.

Most of the observers didn't know what to do, but when Alex from the past slowly followed her future counterpart they decided to follow her. They passed through several hallways, mainly just following the sounds of the battle. Soon enough, they saw the future Alex throw herself behind a suit of armor. Alex had her back pressed up against the wall, and it wasn't hard to see why. A group of witches and wizards had just come around the nearby corner, throwing hexes at each other, left, right and center.

Alex raised her head carefully and peeked around the armor. As soon as she saw how close they were getting her head was back against the wall. Her breathing was becoming deep and heavy. Apparently, she couldn't help seeing what was going on with the fight. Maybe she was even worried about her family, but now it seemed like she was the one in trouble. Alex squeezed her eyes shut, trying to come up with some kind of game plan. When she opened them, it looked like she had made her decision. She tucked her wand away and closed her eyes again.

A look of deep concentration passed over Alex's face and in the next instant Alex was no longer standing there. Instead of Alex, there was a black panther standing in her place.

The group from the past, besides Alex, was transfixed by what just happened. They stared in awe at the sleek animal that now turned its attention towards the fighters. With a twitch of its tail and a backwards shift to gain momentum, the panther quickly hurled itself through the air onto one of the enemy wizards.

Several people cried out loud at the sudden appearance of the black panther. It roared in anger as several hexes flew through the air towards it, but it dodged and avoided them with ease. It continued its path of destruction, taking down many enemy troops. One by one, the panther brought down more and more wizards. It was hard to say if they were being killed or not. At least there seemed to be a minimal amount of blood.

This lasted for a few more minutes, until the panther was hit in its side with some kind of hex. It stumbled and it was hit again. It leapt out of the mass of people and took refuge in a shallow alcove in the wall. A second later, Alex appeared in a crouching position exactly where the panther had been. Her wand was in her hand in a flash, ready to defend herself against the enemy.

A look of dismay crossed her face as a fresh wave of enemy wizards came surging around the corner. This wasn't working, whatever she was planning. With a great flourish, she waved her wand through the air and shouted "Accio Solar Flare!"

In the mean time, Alex was busy trying to avoid the many hexes that were coming her way. In a minute, or maybe it was even a few minutes, Alex's broom came soaring over everyone's heads until it landed right in her waiting hand. She mounted it and was soon circling around the battle. No matter how many hexes came Alex's way, none of them even came close. Alex was obviously much faster on a broom than she was on foot. With her newfound speed, Alex was able to wreak more havoc than ever before. The high ceilings in the hallway worked to her advantage, allowing her more freedom and movement.

Alex was so engrossed in the fight that she didn't even notice the appearance of a few new wizards who were wearing robes of a deep red color. She kept on flying and fighting until it happened…

As fast as Alex was, a powerful hex came out of nowhere and hit her directly in her stomach. The impact of the hex sent her flying off her broom and into the nearest wall. She hit the wall and was suspended there for a split second before she fell down to the floor. Alex landed face down and almost seemed to be knocked out. Slowly but surely, she raised her head to see what on Earth had happened.

A strange thing happened next. The fighting crowd slowly parted and a solitary figure, flanked by two others, slowly made his way through. These three people in their long, red cloaks were heading right for Alex. When she saw them coming towards her, she instantly became stiff and rigid.

The leader stopped several feet away from her and stood there for a moment, his face concealed by the hood of his cloak. Then he reached up with both hands and drew the hood back. The other two people followed his example. When the man finally looked upon Alex, her eyes grew wide with terror. There was nothing extraordinary about the man before her. He even would have been a handsome man, if not for the look of pure evil in his eyes and face. Alex knew who he was though. There was no doubt about it.

"I know you," the man said in a smooth yet spine chilling voice. "You are little Alexandria Potter, aren't you?"

Alex immediately began backpedaling away in horror but she didn't get very far. Her back was killing her from when she had come into contact with the wall.

"You and your people have caused a lot of trouble for me," he continued on in the same tone. "Perhaps I should return the favor."

Alex tried to turn around and crawl away, but the man simply raised his hand. He sent Alex crashing into the wall again, causing her to gasp in pain. While she was there, pinned against the wall, he flicked one of his fingers and it was like someone had punched her in the gut. She doubled over in pain, but then she was flying upwards and she collided with the ceiling.

With her eyes wide and full of pain, she suddenly found herself in a total freefall. Alex heard a sickening crunch as her body came to rest on the floor. She was pretty sure something was broken. She could only moan as she tried so hard to sit up.

"Oh dear, and I thought that the Potter clan was supposed to be strong!" he mocked her as he came to stand beside her. He flicked a finger again and now Alex was flipped over onto her back. She stared up at him as he stared down at her. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to kill you myself. I definitely will enjoy killing the daughter of one of my greatest enemies. Then after I'm done with you, I think I'll work on the rest of your family."

Alex's eyes were shimmering with fear when he made a great sweeping motion with his hand. Alex gasped loudly again as a huge gash opened across her stomach. One of her hands clutched at her middle, only to feel her own blood pouring through her fingers. She tried to look down and saw that she was already lying in a pile of her own blood. When she looked back up into his eyes, she could only see one thing: death. Alex knew at that moment that he was really going to kill her.

He raised his hand, probably to deliver the final blow, but a sudden commotion stopped him from doing so. He turned around to see what was happening and soon had several hexes coming at his face. Using his distraction to her advantage, Alex tried desperately to sit herself up. When she finally did, she saw that he was currently fighting a new group of people that included her father, Ron and Hermione.

Alex looked around herself in a daze. With her blurry vision she was able to see her wand and broom lying just a few feet away. Pooling together all her energy, Alex frantically tried to inch her way over to her belongings. After collapsing on the floor several times along the way, she finally reached them. Alex fumbled to put her wand away, then reached into the pocket that had the matchbox.

Having nearly no energy left, Alex could only lie helplessly on her back as she tried to open the matchbox. Her arms felt like lead and her fingers kept on fumbling with the match. It was becoming harder and harder to concentrate, probably due to her lack of blood. She finally had the match ready, but her eyes caught some of the battle that was going on. Alex's head rolled lifelessly to the side as she saw what was happening.

Ron was on the floor in one giant heap. Alex couldn't see his face but something told her that he was probably dead. Harry and Hermione were left battling the three people in red robes. It was clear that they were losing. The leader made another slashing motion. This time Hermione went down with blood pouring from her neck. Harry shouted in rage and continued fighting, even though it was clear that he would never win.

At some point Harry stumbled, and in that moment he happened to notice that Alex was staring right at him. He hesitated and stared back at her, leaving a huge opening for the leader.

Alex couldn't look. She turned her head away from her father and gazed numbly at the ceiling. Then, as if her hands were moving on their own, she struck one of the matches. Alex felt like she was beginning to slip away so she knew she had to act quickly. With her last remaining strength, she slipped the matchbox back into her pocket and then gripped her broom for dear life.

Her eyes began to slip shut, but before the darkness engulfed her, Alex muttered "Hogwarts…1998…"

-----

**A/N:** So there you go. Hopefully more questions have been answered now. As always, please review!

**Next Chapter: **Everyone tries to deal with all this new information. Many questions are answered.


	26. Answers

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thank you for the reviews! Sorry for the wait. Unfortunately, there's not much action in this chapter. It's mainly answering some questions and tying up some loose ends.

**Chapter 26 – Answers**

From last chapter:

Alex felt like she was beginning to slip away so she knew she had to act quickly. With her last remaining strength, she slipped the matchbox back into her pocket and then gripped her broom for dear life.

Her eyes began to slip shut, but before the darkness engulfed her, Alex muttered "Hogwarts…1998…"

-----

Everything had faded to an eerie black void, then suddenly the entire group was standing on the shore of the lake, watching as Harry, Hermione and Ron rushed to pull an unconscious Alex out of the freezing water.

"I think that just about does it," Dumbledore said softly from the shore. The others only nodded their heads slightly to agree. Before they knew it, everyone found themselves back in the classroom in the present day.

They had returned. The memory was over.

Stunned and overwhelmed, every body made their way back to their seats in slow motion. Once seated, they couldn't help but stare openly at Alex, who was currently avoiding making eye contact with anyone. She sat stiffly in her seat, her eyes focused intently on some point on the floor in front of her. When they saw how her eyes were shining brightly, they finally knew how difficult this whole thing must be for her.

"Alex?" Harry inquired gently. "Are you okay?"

At first she didn't answer, but then her mouth opened slowly. "It was just hard to see it again," she finally whispered. "It was bad enough the first time around, but to go through it again…"

Some thought that Alex was going to break down at any moment, but she surprised them. Even though her body shook slightly from the effort of containing her emotions, she never let go. They couldn't believe that after all she had been through, she still was cool and collected.

"I still have a job to do," Alex said in a harsh, shaky tone. "I made them a promise and I intend to keep it. He is not going to get away with it this time. If I die, then I'll just come back and try again when everything cycles around."

Several jaws dropped at that moment. "You poor girl," McGonagall breathed in heavily. "You've been through so much…"

"Please," Alex politely but firmly interrupted her. "I don't need sympathy right now. What I do need is time to focus on my job and what I need to do."

"Fair enough," Dumbledore understood. He gave her a tired smile as he quickly glanced at the window. "I think it's safe to say that we've all missed supper. Perhaps it would be best to bring this…meeting to an end."

"Thank you, sir," Alex sighed gratefully.

"Of course, we'll still need to be cautious," Dumbledore gave her a knowing look. "I dare say it wouldn't be a good idea if we found out the date of this Liberation Day that was mentioned in your memory."

"Of course," Alex nodded seriously. "I don't want anything like that to change the future. I won't talk about anything important."

"Then I suppose that's settled," Dumbledore clasped his hands together. "If you students would like to return to your dorms, I will see to it that some food is brought up to you."

"Thank you, sir," Alex said again as she stood to leave. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny also stood and everyone took a moment to say their goodbyes. The five teenagers filed out of the room, with Alex as the last one to leave.

Just before she disappeared through the door, Alex glanced back at the seven adults who remained. They looked into her eyes once more and saw that they were filled with pain but also a hint of hope. Then she turned around and she was gone.

"Those two," Moody said after a brief silence. "They're related for sure. You can see it in their eyes."

"The same haunted look," Molly shook her head sadly.

"And they're likely to be our last hope."

-----

The five teenagers walked in silence for a while, mostly because no one knew where to begin. And no one really wanted to discuss the situation out in the open hallways with other students around. As much as it strained their patience, all were able to wait until they were safely locked away in Ron's private room. Once inside, everyone took up their usual positions, with the girls lounging on the couch and the boys sitting on the bed. For another brief second they all just kept staring at each other.

"Alright," Alex said, firing up the conversation. "I know you all have a million questions, so you'd better start now before it gets too late."

"Who was at St. Mungo's?" Ginny asked quietly, getting in the first question. "By the looks of it, someone important had to have been there. Everyone was too upset over something…or someone, I should say."

"Ah, yeah…" Alex nodded slowly and solemnly. "It was…"

"Dumbledore," Hermione interrupted gently. "Professor Dumbledore was there."

"What makes you say that?" Ron asked.

"Wasn't it obvious," Hermione said in a strained tone. "Everyone in that room was devastated by the news. It wasn't just anybody and it wasn't about the building itself."

"Hermione's right," Alex sighed. "Dumbledore had been a patient there for a few months. None of the healers knew exactly what was wrong with him. They figured he'd been poisoned somehow by Salazar, though it didn't kill him. I imagine Dumbledore's tougher than that. He was pretty much in a coma, though, for a really long time."

"I see," Harry nodded gravely. "And that man who attacked you, he was…"

"Salazar," Alex tried her best not to shudder. "Nice piece of work, isn't he? He's a real creative, psychotic maniac, that one."

"What makes him worse than You-Know-Who?" Ron asked curiously.

"Well, it's sort of hard to describe," Alex scrunched her face up in concentration. "I guess you could say that Salazar is more external and Voldemort is more internal. With Voldemort, everything is 'Me, me, me.' It's like he's so focused on being original. Salazar on the other hand, doesn't mind borrowing ideas from other people. You remember when I told you about his followers being called Horsemen? I think he honestly enjoys the irony of taking Muggle beliefs and throwing them back in their faces.

"And Salazar's not obsessed with immortality either. His first goal was to get rid of the Muggles. I think he learned from Voldemort's mistakes too. That's mostly why they seemed to take different approaches. Part of what makes Salazar really frightening is his love for graphic killing methods. He'd hack away at your body even after you'd died."

"So that's what you meant!" Ginny suddenly gasped. "Before you told us who you were, you'd say that we'd all die horrible deaths and that he would come for us. You weren't talking about Voldemort at all, you were referring to Salazar."

"Good one, Ginny," Alex winked at her. "I was just trying to scare you all but I was telling the truth. If you had kept me from doing my job, then Salazar would still come in the future and kill everyone here. As you probably recall, he does have a certain fascination for blood and pain. That's another difference between him and Voldemort. Old Voldie wouldn't hesitate using the _avada_ curse on an enemy, but to Salazar it's too clean. It's not satisfying enough for him."

"I'm starting to realize why so many people would fear this guy," Harry raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Yeah," Alex laughed weakly. "I'm not trying to say that Voldemort is a kitten compared to Salazar, it's just that they're so different."

"Well…how about changing the topic," Ron tried hard to look too pale. "Err…what about Dad? He seemed to be pretty important at the meeting. What's up with that?"

"Do you really want to know?" Alex grinned eagerly.

"Why, what happens?" Ginny looked a bit cautious.

"Oh, not much," Alex glanced down at her fingernails casually. "Just that your Dad becomes the Minister for Magic at some point in the future."

"HE WHAT???"

"Minister for Magic," Alex simply nodded. "You heard me."

"Bloody Hell," Ron muttered softly. "Are you sure? Are you really sure?"

"I'm positive."

"Are you sure we should be discussing this?" Hermione pointed out.

"What's the harm?" Alex shrugged. "As long as you all don't tell Mr. Weasley about this, I'm sure the future will be safe."

"I don't know," Ginny said doubtfully. "I can't see Dad accepting that position. I don't think he'd ever leave his department. He loves his job too much."

"People change," Alex said quietly. "When your country needs a good leader and you're the one that people trust, it's sort of hard to say no. Sometimes you have to give up the life you want in order to do your duty."

For a split second, Alex glanced at Harry and there was a quick connection between them. He knew that she was talking about Mr. Weasley but her words could easily apply to him and her. That's exactly how he felt at times. There were definitely days when he wished he could be a normal teenager but he knew it wasn't possible. Alex's words were so simple and yet so true. They both had a duty to those who believe in them. There were many people counting on them. It was an extremely scary thought.

At that moment, there came a soft knock at the door. Ron got up and trudged across the room. When he opened the door, everyone could see a certain little house elf standing there with a large tray of food in his hands.

"Hey, Dobby," Ron's eyes lit up at the sight of the food. "Thanks a million, mate. I'll take that from you."

As soon as Dobby was free from the weight of the tray, he scampered a few feet into the room and dropped into low bow. "It was an honour, sir," Dobby said. "Dobby would do anything for any witch or wizard here, including Miss Reid."

"It's okay, Dobby," Alex rolled her eyes. "You can drop the act now. They all know."

"What?" Harry glanced back and forth between an amused Alex and a nervous Dobby. "Dobby, you knew who she was but you didn't say anything?"

"Dobby could tell she was a Potter, sir," Dobby wrung his hands nervously. "But Miss Potter told me with her eyes to keep it a secret, she did. Dobby meant no harm. Dobby would never purposely deceive Harry Potter."

"How did you know?" Ron asked in surprise.

"It was in Miss's magic," Dobby explained eagerly. "All wizards have a magic around them and hers was almost the same as Harry Potter's. And Miss had the same eyes as Harry Potter."

"Of course," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry about it Dobby," Alex shrugged her shoulders casually. "You did well. You did exactly what you were supposed to."

"Thank you, Alex Potter," Dobby bowed deep as he prepared to leave. "It is such an honour to help a Potter. Dobby was glad he could be of service." And with a loud CRACK, Dobby had disappeared.

"Well, that's that," Ron said through a mouthful of supper. "What I want to know is, why did you destroy that boggart that day in DA class. What was it going to turn into that you didn't want us to see? You-Know-Who?"

"Not exactly," Alex shivered slightly at the memory. "It would have turned into Salazar. He's the only thing that honestly scares me, especially after…well, you guys saw what happened. He's enough to give a person nightmares."

"I never heard you having any nightmares, though," Hermione pointed out.

"Yeah, well, that's what silencing charms are for," Alex muttered softly.

"You know what always got me," Harry wisely decided to change the subject. "I always wondered what it was you and the Sorting Hat said to each other. You looked liked you wanted to tear it to pieces."

"Oh that!" Alex suddenly laughed. "It was classic, really. The bloody thing wanted to stick me in Slytherin! Like father, like daughter I guess. I don't know why that hat's so intent on putting us there. I eventually had to tell it that I needed to be here in Gryffindor."

"Why?" Ron asked.

"So that I could spy on you guys," Alex said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Oh…"

"And what was up with Snape?" Ginny's nose scrunched slightly. "It was almost as if he…liked you or something. Don't tell me you're one of his favourite students."

"Nah, not really," Alex shrugged casually like it wasn't a big deal. "I think by the time I grew up he finally got his head out of his ass. I'm not saying he becomes best friends with Harry or anything, but I think he does realize that we're not so bad. Plus he does appreciate good work and I do excel in his class."

"So that's how you were able to make that wolfsbane potion so quickly!" Hermione gasped. "If you're so good at making potions, no wonder he likes you so much."

"Actually," Alex grinned mysteriously. "I learned potions from someone else and I had lots of practice making that particular potion because of Remus. I'm really only an average potion maker."

"But…"

"Hermione, you saw what the future was like," Alex explained patiently. "They taught…or teach classes a bit differently. We didn't have time to focus on little details and writing tests every week. Things were a bit more practical. We learned the spells we needed to learn in order to survive. If it wasn't very useful, then we didn't spend much time on it. That's why I'm not that good on tests and pointless drills. If I'm not interested or if I don't see the importance in something, then I don't do that well. I just don't care. And as for Snape…he's not exactly teaching Potions when I'm at Hogwarts."

"What does he teach?" Harry asked.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Alex said with deadpan expression, though her lip twitched as she waited for their reactions.

"WHAT?"

"WHY?"

"HOW?"

"Who's so bloody insane that they'd give Snape _that_ job?" Ron shuddered at the thought. "It'd be pure torture, I tell you. Might as well be eaten alive by flesh-eating spiders."

"Ron," Hermione reasoned. "Spiders don't eat…"

"Uh, hello!" Ron sputtered. "Those giant ones in the forest do! You missed that lovely adventure!"

"I was lying petrified in the hospital wing!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Yeah, lucky you."

"Anyway," Ginny said loudly. "If Snape's not teaching Potions anymore, then who took his place? Anyone we know?"

"Oh, you might," Alex said secretively. For the briefest moment, Alex's gaze lingered on Hermione. It was so quick that no one was able to pick up on it. "Hey guys, you know I'd love to stay here tonight, but I think us girls would be a lot more comfortable if we had some proper pajamas…"

"I agree," Hermione said. "Why don't we go get some of our things then come back in a minute?"

"Sure," Ginny agreed. "We'll be right back."

-----

"Hello, Crookshanks," Hermione instinctively patted him on his head as he lounged peacefully on her bed. She and Alex started collecting what they needed from Hermione's room, when all of a sudden Hermione spun around and looked at her pet. "Crookshanks! I almost forgot. Alex, what on Earth happened the day you two first met?"

"Ha! That's a good one!" Alex threw her head back and laughed. "I think Crookshanks freaked out because he sensed something different in me. I'm really not supposed to be here in this time period, so I'm sure I felt wrong to him. Plus I was lying through my teeth so often, so naturally he'd hate me for that. He was just reacting to his instincts. But I couldn't let him continue like that so I brought him up here to have a little heart-to-heart. He didn't want to listen at first but then I changed into my panther form and was able to calm him down. Once he figured out who I was and that I didn't mean any harm, everything was fine. We've been best mates ever since, isn't that right Crookshanks?"

Crookshanks turned his head in Alex's direction and lazily twitched his tail a few times in response. A low rumbling purr came from deep inside him.

"Unbelievable," Hermione stared between Alex and Crookshanks in fascination. She shook her head and continued gathering her stuff. When she was finished she took a moment to sit on her bed. Hermione glanced at Alex who was also finished and patiently waiting to go. One part of Hermione was ready to leave too, but another part of her was holding her back. One part of her mind had too many questions and some of them needed to be addressed. She just had to be sure…

"Alex," Hermione started softly. Alex sensed the sudden change in tone and slowly sat herself down on the corner of the bed. "In the future…did you know all about my parents and how they died? That it was Voldemort who killed them?"

Alex carefully kept her face set in a neutral expression. "Yes," she said just as softly.

"And in your memory…" Hermione plunged forward. "When I told you to not change anything no matter what…I was referring to my parents, wasn't I?"

There was no point for Alex to lie.

"Yes."

Although Hermione had suspected the answer, it still hit her like a Bludger. She couldn't stop the painful sob that escaped her mouth or the tears that suddenly blurred her vision. For a few terrifying moments, it felt like she couldn't breathe. Alex slowly inched forward, concern shining in her own glossy eyes.

"Hermione?"

"Oh, Alex," Hermione broke down and fell into Alex's waiting arms. She cried openly for the first time since the night of her parents' death. "So all this time, you knew that my parents would die?"

Alex's heart plummeted to the ground. She never meant for it to be like this. From the moment she had decided that she would show the others her memory, she was afraid that this would happen. She knew there would be consequences but she felt that they needed to know. And now Hermione was going to hate her for it, for allowing her parents to die and not saying anything.

"I'm so sorry," Alex whispered earnestly as her tears began to fall. "It broke my heart to just stand back and not do anything about it. I wanted to so much, Hermione, I wanted to stop it from happening and I fought with myself everyday about it…"

"No!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, sitting up straight. "You couldn't have!"

"Yes, I could," Alex said. "I could have found a way. I could have done it secretly so no one else would know."

"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione swiped the back of her hand across her eyes. "You promised the future me that you wouldn't change anything. Now I know that I've done my fair share of time traveling in the past, but this case is different. My parents were long gone by the time you all decided to do what you're doing. And if you did happen to save my parents, then where do you draw the line? What else could you change?"

"So you're not angry, then?" Alex asked hopefully. Hermione sighed deeply and hiccupped.

"It's hard to accept, but no, I'm not angry at you," Hermione said. "A part of me needed to know, that's all. You did what you were supposed to do. Besides, I think everything will be alright in the end. I seem fine in the future. I think I just need time to adjust. This is fate anyway, it's all meant to happen."

"Like Bilbo was meant to find the Ring and Frodo was meant to carry it," Alex grinned. Hermione gently laughed.

"Yeah, something like that. You must really like Lord of the Rings."

"They're my mother's favourite books," Alex recalled fondly. "She used to read them to me all the time when I was little. I think she got her first copies when she was young, maybe when she was our age."

"Our age, huh? So who…"

"Not a chance, Hermione, not a chance."

The two girls just sat in silence for a minute, feeling a bit lighter yet sleepy as well. However, they knew the others were expecting them. "Come on," Alex stood up and extended a hand. "Let's go find Ginny and get back to the boys. I don't know about you but this has been one really long day. I'm about to fall asleep standing up."

Hermione reached out and took Alex's offered hand. She smiled gratefully for her strong support.

"Yes, it has been quite a day."

-----

A/N: Please review!

Next Chapter: The gang finds out more about Alex...Harry and Alex have a little heart-to-heart.


	27. The Next Day

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry for the delay! I hope to update sooner, especially since the story is nearing the end. I'd say there are about three chapters or so left, depending on how things go. I can't believe it's that close.

**Chapter 27 – The Next Day**

Several students were extremely surprised to see Alex sitting at the Gryffindor table the next morning for breakfast. Word had spread about how she had nearly beaten the living snot out of Draco Malfoy yesterday. Some figured that Alex would have gotten in trouble, but then again, others figured that she had done them all a favour. Malfoy certainly didn't have many friends or admirers, so the whole situation was a blessing for anyone who had ever been picked on or intimidated by him. But even though many were silently cheering for her, most students decided to give her plenty of space; everyone except for Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron.

The five Gryffindors were huddled around each other at the unoccupied end of the table. They were grateful for the privacy since they still had much to discuss. Though at the current moment, the other four were staring at Alex as she piled the food onto her plate with one hand and shoveled more food into her mouth with her other hand.

"Oh, God, this food tastes so good," she mumbled around her food.

"Why don't you save some for the rest of us," Ginny teased.

"And I thought my manners were bad," Ron muttered as he tried his best not to laugh.

"I'm sorry," Alex forced herself to slow down and take a short break. "It's just you have no idea how it's been for the past four months. I've been sick to my stomach nearly every week since I've been here."

"So it wasn't just my imagination," Harry said. "There really were days when you were feeling sick."

"Exactly," Alex exclaimed. "Think about it. I shouldn't have been here in the first place. Imagine what it was like for me to wake up in the infirmary and see all of you guys, all the people that I know, except you were all much younger. You were all my age. And the whole point of me coming here was so I could do this thing and stay hidden."

"Well it certainly didn't turn out like that," Hermione raised her eyebrows. "No wonder you reacted like you did. You probably thought you had failed completely."

"I know," Alex continued. "I felt like there was a huge knot in my stomach. I was just waiting for the day I'd slip and say something that would give me away. I've never felt this kind of stress. I swear I must have lost weight since I've been here."

"But now we know," Ron said.

"That's exactly it," Alex started buttering some toast. "Now that it's all off my chest I feel so much better. Last night was the best sleep I had in months. And now I feel so hungry and I can finally eat food again and I'm…I'm…just so happy! Things couldn't be better." As if to emphasize her point, Alex eagerly munched away at her toast.

"Well, we still have to deal with Voldemort at some point," Harry reminded everyone.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Alex waved her hand at him. "I have faith in you guys. You beat him once, you can do it again."

"But we don't even know how we're supposed to beat him!" Harry exclaimed.

"Well, I'm not telling you," Alex moved onto her second piece of toast and spread some strawberry jam on it. "That's something you'll have to figure out on your own." She paused for a second and stared down at her toast. "On second thought, I don't want anymore toast. Here, Harry, you can have it. Don't worry, my hands are clean." Before Harry knew it, Alex had dropped the piece of toast down on his plate. He picked it up to examine it. It looked just right, not too much jam or large chunks of strawberries. Shrugging his shoulders he popped the toast into his mouth.

As everyone continued eating, Hermione took a moment to glance at Harry and Alex, who were sitting next to each other on the other side of the table. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she started picking up on little things they had in common; the way they held their utensils to the way they leaned their elbows casually on the table. She suddenly wanted to laugh at how similar these two actually were. Instead, Hermione let out an undignified little snort.

"What?" Alex asked. She and Harry both looked up and gave Hermione identical glares of annoyance.

"Oh, this is too funny!" Hermione let out a loud laugh, before turning to the Ron and Ginny beside her. "Can't you see it?" Ginny and Ron turned to look at Harry and Alex, wondering what on earth Hermione was going on about, when they suddenly saw it too.

"Bloody hell," Ron breathed. "Those two look so much alike, it's scary. How come we never saw it before?" Alex and Harry turned to look at each other, which only make the others burst into more laughter.

"I'm more relaxed now," Alex shrugged in response. "I couldn't really be myself before. Now it's like I can drop my persona and just be who I normally am. That's why I wanted to call you all by your last names. Calling you by your first names would be something I would do and I couldn't be me while I was here…does that make any sense."

"It does if you wanted to put some distance between us," Hermione nodded.

"Oh, that reminds me," Alex said, then dipped her hand deep into her cloak pocket. When she pulled it out she had a tiny bottle in her hand. She immediately twisted off the top and poured a few drops into her goblet of pumpkin juice.

"What's that?" Harry was almost afraid to know.

"Truth serum," Alex said casually before she took a long swig of her drink. Everyone's eyes grew quite large.

"Are you mad?" Harry asked. "Why would you be drinking truth serum…on purpose?"

"Because I can't get out of shape," Alex replied. "All that stuff yesterday about the truth potion and how Snape would be wasting his time was true. Truth serum doesn't really work on me. Even if the stuff is really strong, I find I can still manage to manipulate my answers."

"But why?" Ginny asked. "How?"

"I started drinking a little bit each day when I was younger," Alex explained. "After a while I increased my daily dose and soon I became immune to it. I figured it would come in handy; being the daughter of the Boy-Who-Lived isn't always easy."

"Where exactly did you get that serum?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"I borrowed it from Snape," Alex grinned wickedly. "I just took a little bit until I can make some of my own. It's been a long time since I've had any and I didn't want to lose my edge." Hermione just shook her head.

"You are absolutely insane, you know that."

"Yeah, I know. It must be a family thing."

-----

Everyone eventually managed to get through classes that day without too much distraction. It was difficult, what with the revelations just the day before, the fact that exams would be coming soon and that they still had Voldemort to worry about, but other than that everything was perfectly fine.

Right…

So one could say that everybody was just going with the flow. As soon as classes were over, Ginny, Alex, Harry and Ron were outside on their brooms while Hermione watched contently from the stands. Nothing formal was organized; the flyers were merely enjoying the wonderful sensations of soaring through the air.

"You never were trying to kill Harry that day you got sent to the hospital wing, were you?" Hermione shouted to Alex with a huge grin on her face.

"God, no!" Alex whooped with laughter. "I was really admiring Harry's amazing flying skills. Dad never flies like that anymore."

"So where did you learn to fly like that?" Harry asked, hoping for an actual answer this time.

"Where do you think?" Alex replied as she slowly rotated and starting flying upside down. "You love flying. You taught me when I was little. I practiced all the time with the Weasley cousins."

"Weasley cousins?" Ron stopped in mid flight and nearly fell off his broom. "What do you mean exactly by 'Weasley cousins'?"

"Ron, think about it," Alex explained patiently. "How many siblings do you have? Don't you think that at least some of them might have children at some point in their lives? If you all had three or even only two kids, wouldn't that be a lot of little Weasleys running around?"

"I suppose so," Ron agreed.

"I owe a lot of my Quidditch skills to them, you know," Alex said as she did a loop and flew right side up again. "We played Quidditch all the time, especially over the summer. We usually had enough for two teams. When Hogwarts still had Qudditch teams, there were always some of us on the Gryffindor team over the years."

"I suppose you were the Seeker, like Harry," Ginny said.

"Actually I wasn't," Alex grinned at everyone's shock. "I'm a Chaser. Not that I couldn't be a Seeker; thanks to the Weasley's we were all pretty good at most positions. I just prefer to be a Chaser. I find there's more to do and I'm afraid the games wouldn't be too long if I were Seeker."

"So you're saying that you'd make a better Seeker than Harry?" Ron grinned. "Care to make a wager on that?"

"No I would not," Alex rolled her eyes. "It's not that I'm better than Harry, but I have been flying a lot longer than Harry has. Harry only started flying when he was eleven years old; imagine what he would have been like if he had started early like me. In reality I think Harry has much more talent than I do. My talent came from lots of practice, but Harry's comes naturally."

"Awe, look, you're making him blush," Ginny teased.

-----

The gang stayed outside until supper time; afterwards Hermione pointed out that even if the world was coming to and end, they still needed to do their homework, especially Hermione since she had been gone for several days. So after their meal they all spent some time in the common room grudgingly doing work.

Eventually Harry gave up trying to concentrate and he muttered some excuse about going for a walk. The others exchanged concerned looks as he exited through the portrait door.

"Think he'll be alright?" Ginny asked.

"Who knows," Ron shrugged. "Hope so. It's been a rough couple of days around here."

"I think I'll go talk to him," Alex said as she moved her things of her lap.

"Maybe that would be a good idea," Hermione said. "I'm sure there are some things you'd like to talk about in private."

"Oh, I think so," Alex sighed as she raced through the door after Harry. She looked up and down the corridor and saw him disappear around a corner at the other end. Alex took off running and soon she had caught up to him. She slowed her pace until the two of them were walking side by side. "So where are we going?"

"Don't know," Harry shrugged. At least he didn't tell her to go away. "I was thinking maybe one of the towers."

"As long as it's cleaner than the Owlery," Alex grinned at the memory of their conversation in that particular tower.

"Sure thing."

They made it to one of the Astronomy towers and thankfully it was deserted. Alex sat down on the floor next to one end of the railing and Harry sat at the other end. They both looked out over the grounds, enjoying the last bit of the sunset. For a good while, neither said anything, but eventually Harry had to bring it up.

"So you really don't like balconies, do you?" he asked, noticing the way she cautiously peered over the edge.

"That's right."

"Why?"

Alex sighed. "Harry…" she said slowly as she thought about how to phrase this. "I always have and always will love being a Potter, but I'm sure you understand by now that certain things happen because of our name. It's just a part of who we are. And sometimes, some of those things that happen aren't always good things. When I was young there was an incident. I won't go into details but I will say that it involved some pretty nasty people. I was there and I pushed one of those people off the side of a balcony in order to save one of our people. I ended up going over the edge with him. Someone managed to save me but the other guy…well, he didn't make it. He fell to his death and I watched him go. I was the one who pushed him."

Harry stared at her in shock. "I…I had no idea…" he whispered.

"So that's why I fear balconies," Alex continued quietly. "The ironic thing about it is I still loved to fly even after the incident. I think my brain somehow made a distinction between balconies and broomsticks. As long as I had a broom with me I felt safe, I felt secure."

"I'm sorry," Harry said. "I'm sorry you had to go through any of that. No one should have that much pain in their lives…"

"Harry, don't blame yourself," Alex tried to reason with him. "You can't change the actions of other people. You can try but it probably won't work."

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, each one absorbed in their own thoughts. Harry was still getting used to the idea that he had…or will have a daughter in the future. And she was sitting right here with him. Could his life be any more twisted than what it was right now? Probably, knowing him and his luck. By this point in his young life, Harry had learned to expect the unexpected.

Harry's thoughts were also stuck on something else, something that hadn't been brought up before, and that surprised him. Well, if Alex wasn't going to talk about it then Harry would. "Alex…" Harry started slowly.

"Yes, Harry?" Alex glanced at him suspiciously. What was he up to?

"I was wondering," Harry tried his best to act naturally. "You say you're my daughter from the future, right? That got me thinking, if I'm your father then obviously you'd have a mother…"

"I don't know what took you so long," Alex didn't even wait for Harry to finish. She gave him a sympathetic and understanding smile. "I thought you'd have cracked hours ago. Hermione was asking me last night about her."

"Hermione knows!" Harry's eyes widened slightly in alarm. "Hermione knows who your mother is?!"

"No, because I wouldn't tell her," Alex replied calmly. "And there's absolutely no way in the world that I would tell you either. Knowing how awkward you are, you'd probably go and mess up the whole entire thing and scare her away."

"I would not," Harry muttered to the floor. "Does that mean that it's someone I know?"

"I didn't say anything about you knowing her," Alex scoffed. "I'm not telling you if you meet her now or later."

"Isn't there anything you can tell me?" Harry pleaded with his green eyes. "Are we…are we together, your mum and I? Are we happy?"

Alex breathed deeply through her nose as she contemplated her response. "Yes, you're happy," she offered. "You're so happy it makes other people sick sometimes." Harry released a deep breath that he didn't even know he was holding. "Do you remember that time on Valentine's Day when we were up in the Owlery?" Alex continued on. "We were talking about love and you were so afraid that you wouldn't find the right girl. You don't have to worry, Harry, you will find her some day. She'll be everything that you're looking for."

Harry couldn't trust himself to speak properly. It was a few moments before he could collect himself together. "Well," he started in a shaky tone. "Never expected you to say something like that. Are you sure I won't miss her? How will know it's her."

"Don't think about it too much," Alex advised. "Just don't look for her and you'll find her when you least suspect it. Trust me, you'll know when it happens."

Harry glanced at Alex as she looked out over the school grounds. He suddenly remembered how she had been back in the hospital wing and that time he saw her life in her eyes. Now it all made perfect sense. Now he understood the tired look in her eyes because that was how he felt most of the time. He believed her when she said she had been through a lot in her life. Harry had had many of his own problems.

"You know," Harry sighed as he rested his head against the wall. "I think I'm beginning to see Hermione's point. We're very similar, from the little things all the way down to fact that we both had rough childhoods. Though it seems to me that you would have had one advantage over me."

"And what would that be?" Alex tilted her head to one side curiously.

"Apparently you have a family that actually loves you," Harry said with a slight hint of bitterness, but not bitterness that was directed at Alex; it was more directed at life and its general unfairness.

"Harry, just look around you," Alex whispered as her eyes began to get glossy. "You might not have had two loving parents but you have family everywhere. You are surrounded by people who love you. Sometimes you underestimate that love but it's always there."

As Harry listened to Alex, images of everyone he knew flashed randomly through his mind. The more he envisioned them, the more he knew that Alex was right. He could see the Weasleys, who were pretty much his adopted family anyway. He saw professors like Dumbledore and McGonagall, who had always been like wise and encouraging grandparents. Then there were his friends like Hermione and even Neville, who would always be there for him. And finally he saw people like Remus and Hagrid, uncle-like figures who were always watching over him. Even his parents and Sirius were probably watching over him.

"See?" Alex grinned as if she could read his mind. "I told you. They're there for you, Harry. Never doubt that for a second."

"This is so strange," Harry shook his head. "Here you are giving me advice when I'm technically the parent and you're the daughter."

"Maybe technically…" Alex hesitated slightly.

"But what?" Harry asked.

"Well, don't get offended or anything," Alex continued. "But it's kind of hard for me see you as…I mean, I know you're meant to be my dad but at this point…"

"You don't actually see me as your father," Harry finished for her.

"Yes and no," Alex admitted. "It's really bizarre for me. I see you and you look like Dad, minus quite a few years and you even talk like Dad most of the time. It's just that you don't have everything that makes Dad him. We're pretty much the same age right now, whereas Dad's been through more than you have; not saying that you haven't been through a lot, but Dad has been around longer than you. He's had the chance to do a lot of things you haven't done yet. I guess a part of me realizes that and I don't feel like I can say you're him even when you are…and this is why I hate time travel because this is getting way too confusing."

"I think I understand," Harry grinned at Alex's frustration. "You must miss him a lot. What do you think will happen if we win this thing?"

"When we win," Alex corrected him. "And, yeah, I do miss him, but it's not too bad. Being here with you guys helps, even if you're all a bit younger. As for what will happen…I don't know. I just hope I can get home to the future. I hope that everything will be different…for the better…"

"Are you worried?" Harry asked carefully, remembering a certain conversation from Alex's memory. Alex nodded slightly and let out a big sigh.

"A little," Alex confessed. "Only 85 accurate, that's what Hermione said. I guess we'll have to wait and see. I just don't want to end up in the Stone Age or some place like that."

"Let's hope not," Harry looked carefully at Alex as she fiddled with a piece of thread on her jumper. He knew she could guard her emotions carefully but he could tell that she was nervous. It seemed so strange to him; she was utterly confident in their future but when it came to her own she was completely lost. Not that he could blame her. Who knows what the ramifications would be if something went wrong with the return journey. She could end up, as she said, in totally different time or place; or even worse, maybe she wouldn't even be born at all. What, then, would happen to her if she tried to return to the future? Would she just cease to exist? Harry didn't know enough about time travel to know the answers to these questions. She was probably asking herself these exact same questions. No wonder she looked so nervous.

"Alex?" he asked softly. She looked up into his eyes at the sound of his voice. "Everything will be alright. I promise." Alex offered him a weak smile.

"Thank you, Harry."

-----

**A/N:** Please review!

**Next Chapter: **Voldemort may finally be making a move...someone unexpected will step up and become a leader.


	28. Darkness Comes

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews! It's my birthday today so I felt like working hard to update. And with regards to Remembrance Day (or Vetran's Day) I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has ever fought for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.

**Chapter 28 – Darkness Comes**

The next few weeks passed by in a blur and soon everyone at Hogwarts found themselves writing exams in early June. Despite the fact that Death Eater activity was at a record high, the teachers thought it would be best to maintain a bit of normalcy with the students. More than a few people were nervous, as no one seemed to know what Voldemort was planning. Apparently he was keeping many of his Death Eaters in the dark regarding his full plan.

On one particular afternoon, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Alex were all hanging out in the Head Boy's/Head Girl's lounge. Hermione and Ron were trying to work out some last minute details on the fast approaching graduation ceremony and the other three were attempting to study. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, causing everyone in the room to jump. Who would be coming to this room at this time? Everyone was already here.

Hermione slowly got to her feet and walked over to the door. She opened it, only to reveal Professor McGonagall standing on the other side. "Professor!" Hermione sounded mildly surprised to see her Head-of-House before her. "Please come in. What can we do for you?"

McGonagall didn't answer her right away. Instead, she swept into the room and looked critically at the others. "I'm afraid I need to speak to Mr. Potter, Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley for a moment…alone," she looked stern but there was an apologetic glint in her eyes. Ginny and Alex simply looked at each other and prepared to leave.

"I think, Professor," Ron looked McGonagall firmly in the eye, "that you should know us well enough by now that we'll just tell them after you leave. It would save us some time if we didn't have to explain everything to them."

All heads turned to McGonagall to see her reaction. Her lips were pursed together in thin, straight line. "Very well, then," she sighed. "I suppose you all have heard that there have been even more conflicts between the Aurors and Death Eaters these past few weeks. We suspected that You-Know-Who has been planning something for a good while now and Professor Snape has confirmed this. Just this afternoon, he has learned that You-Know-Who plans to launch an attack on Hogwarts itself. Given the fact that Professor Trelawney also had another prediction two nights ago, we believe all of this to be accurate information."

The five Gryffindors were equally stunned by the unexpected news. That prediction must have been the one mention in Alex's memory of the future.

"When?" Harry asked softly.

"Tomorrow, at nightfall," McGonagall replied with resentment.

"Tomorrow!" Hermione exclaimed, leaping out of her chair. "But that's too soon. We're still in the middle of exams and…the students. What about the students?"

"That's exactly what Professor Dumbledore and the other head professors were just discussing," McGonagall said. "As far as we're concerned, we will attempt to evacuate all students tonight to a save and secure location."

"Does he know that we know?" Harry's question was very vague but McGonagall seemed to understand.

"Not as far as we know," she sounded relieved. "We think that if he did know, he would not wait for tomorrow. We also believe that he has yet to discover that Professor Snape is a spy for our side."

"Will an evacuation tip him off, though," Ron pointed out. "Won't that tell him that we know his next move? What if he changes his mind, then? Not that that would be a bad thing…"

"That's why we will try to do it during the night," McGonagall explained. "It's the best solution we can come up with at the moment."

"Does that mean we all have to leave?" Ginny asked anxiously.

"I'm afraid so," McGonagall looked at them again with sympathetic eyes. "With the exception of Mr. Potter, who has the option of staying or leaving with the rest of the students."

Harry stood and looked McGonagall squarely in the eye. So it had come to this; a part of Harry always knew that it would. But now that they were finally here, he knew there was only one thing he could do. There was no avoiding it now. "I'm staying," he exhaled loudly. "I think I'm meant to be here when it happens. I have to…I need to do this."

McGonagall obviously understood and gave him a simple nod in return. "Very well, then. Professor Dumbledore will be making an announcement before supper in the Great Hall. All details will be explained then."

"Professor!" Hermione called out as McGonagall turned to leave. "What about graduation? What's going to happen after tomorrow?"

"That will depend on what tomorrow brings," McGonagall responded after a slight pause. "Right now, I would say that any other plans will be either canceled or put on hold…for a while at least." And then she was gone.

"Canceled," Hermione sat back down with a stunned looked. "I can't believe that everything…exams, graduation…everything that we've worked for will all be for nothing."

"Well, I can tell you for damn sure that I'm not leaving tonight," Ron crossed his arms in front of him. "I'm staying with you Harry and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

"I'm staying too," Ginny added defiantly.

"No, you're not," Ron said forcefully. "If Mum were here…"

"Ron, shut up," Ginny hissed at him. "Mum's not here and we are not having this conversation. I am old enough to make my own decisions and I say that I'm staying behind."

"That makes four of us, then," Hermione glanced up with determination.

"Actually, it's five," Alex corrected them. "See, there are five people in the room right now."

"Alex," Harry sighed with exasperation. "You of all people can't stay here. What if you change something?"

"Have you forgotten, Harry?" Alex shook her head. "That's the whole reason I'm here. I need to do my thing after Voldemort dies."

"If he dies…"

"Oh, shove it Harry. I already told you I know you guys can do it. I promise you I won't be in the way. And unlike some people, I'm pretty sure no one will be able to get anything from my mind, not even old Voldie himself."

Harry had to sigh again. He should have expected this from everyone. It was exactly like two years ago and the Department of Mysteries. If that experience taught him anything it was that his friends were very determined. The only thing that stood in their way was the professors. Last time there were no adults to hold them back; they had just gone off on a whim. This time would be different, though.

"We should go talk to Dumbledore," Harry suggested. "If you guys are going to stay, we need to clear it with him first."

"Oh, I definitely want to talk with Dumbledore," Hermione was already halfway to the door. "It's not supposed to happen like this. They can't cancel our graduation just because some stupid Dark Wizard wants to destroy us all. I've put too much time into planning this stuff and if he thinks he can disrupt our lives like this, he's sorely mistaken."

"Dark Wizards, beware," Ron muttered under his breath. "Hermione's on the warpath."

-----

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Alex all marched their way to Dumbledore's office. No one dared to stop them and everyone nearly scurried to get out of their path. The five Gryffindors made an impressive sight. All were wearing their robes, which were flowing behind them, making them seem larger and powerful. Their huge strides were in perfect unison and they had identical determined glares on their faces.

"Harry!"

The group came to a near simultaneous halt as their heads spun around to see Neville quickly approaching. It looked like he had been running to catch up with them. As soon as he slowed down he noticed the undeniable tension in them all.

"What happened?" Neville began to look extremely worried as he glanced from face to face. "What's wrong?"

"We're going to see Dumbledore," Harry answered softly, then hesitated for a brief moment. He could tell Neville, after all they had been through. "There's going to be an evacuation tonight, but you can't tell anyone about it. Everyone will hear about it later on at supper."

Neville's eyes grew unnaturally wide. "_He's_ coming, isn't he?" was all he said. Harry merely nodded. He knew how difficult this probably would be for Neville. "Is there anything I can do?" Neville offered.

"Not really," Harry shrugged.

"Are you staying?"

"Yeah."

"Are the rest of you?" The others also nodded in response. At that moment, something inexplicable changed in Neville's face. "Then I'm staying too," his eyes flashed with anger. "When you see Dumbledore you can tell him that I'll be staying too. I'm not going to run away from this. I'm going to stay here and fight for my school, for everything else…"

"Neville…" Harry started. "I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Well I think it is," Neville replied forcefully. "What's the point of all those extra defense classes if we're never going to use them? I know I won't be the only one who'll want to stay. For some of us, this castle is the only place we've got. It means too much to us and we won't let anything happen to it. And we can't let _him_ get away with it. _He_ needs to be stopped."

"We'll see what we can do," Ron offered. "Right now, we'd better get going."

"Right, then," Neville stepped back with a nod. "You'll let us know what's going on?" he asked hopefully.

"Whenever we find out what's happening," Harry agreed.

-----

When the five Gryffindors made it to Dumbledore's staircase, McGonagall was waiting there for them.

"We were wondering when you would make it," she huffed, though they saw the corner of her mouth twitch. "As soon as I returned, everyone agreed that the first thing you five would do would be to come gallivanting over here to protest our decision. Well, what are you waiting for? Come on up and try to change our minds."

Once inside Dumbledore's office they saw that Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout were still there. But the students didn't hesitate as they stood firmly before their professors. Now was not the time to back down and be shy.

"We'll get straight to the point," Harry didn't bother with pleasantries. "I'm sure by now you've guessed that not everyone is happy with this evacuation plan. These four will want to stay as well."

"Impossible!" Flitwick squeak from his chair, while Snape shook his head in disgust and Sprout shook hers in disbelief. Dumbledore and McGonagall were far from surprised.

"I suppose you all plan on being heroes," Snape bit sarcastically. "Do you plan on fighting the Dark Lord by yourselves?"

"Of course not," Ron fumed. "But we just can't sit back and do nothing while our best friend puts his life in danger. Others will want to stay, too, I can guarantee you that."

"And I suppose you have a brilliant plan, some amazing scheme that will stop him in his tracks."

For a brief moment, Ron hesitated. Everyone seemed to take his silence as a negative response. Then Ron opened his mouth. "Actually, I do something that we can do." All eyes turned on Ron. This time there was surprise all around.

"And what exactly do you propose, Mr. Weasley?" Dumbledore said softly and encouragingly. Ron had to swallow to rid his throat of a sudden lump. Then he plunged ahead, detailing the specifics of his idea.

The entire room was still and unmoving as they sat and listened to Ron's voice. The more he explained, the more confident he became. A few minutes later, he paused to take a breath.

"That will never work in a million years," Snape sighed impatiently.

"I have to say, I'm a bit skeptical myself," Sprout agreed.

"When did you come up with this?" McGonagall asked in amazement.

"Less than an hour ago," Ron shrugged. "I started thinking about it when you told us about the evacuation. If I had a few more minutes, I'd have everything planned and figured out."

"And here we thought that only Harry had the good ideas," Ginny mused.

"Not really," Harry muttered. "I'm more of a spontaneous thinker. I work best in the moment, but Ron's the one with strategies."

"I still don't know about this," McGonagall looked worried.

"What other choice do we have?!" Ron exclaimed. "Some of us are not leaving this school. You'd have to hex us and drag us out of here in sacks. Trust me, I've considered everything from safety to the execution."

"And what makes you think it will work?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Because _he_ won't expect it," Ron pointed out. "And neither will any of his Death Eaters. They're so wrapped up in themselves and so convinced of their superiority that they won't even consider this. He'll come and he'll be over-confident. I wouldn't be surprised if he considers this his last big battle on his way to immortality or something like that. He expects to win. He probably figures that Harry's number is up. Harry's had too many lucky breaks and now it's his turn. It's only a matter of time before he wins a round. That's where we'll get him. It'll be perfect, like setting a small trap. He won't see it coming."

"And what about me?" Harry asked, though he pretty much knew the answer. Ron looked at him with serious eyes.

"I think you'll probably be needed elsewhere tomorrow," he said. "How confident are you in your Occlumency skills?"

"I feel good," Harry replied. He made a point last year to learn it inside and out. He felt like he could take on Voldemort and not reveal any important information.

"Great," Ron nodded, apparently satisfied. "I think, though, that the four of us should take some Felix Felicis just in case. You never know what will happen."

"How do you know about Felix Felicis?" Hermione asked, eyes wide.

"I read about it once in this mystery novel," Ron replied vaguely. "And don't look so surprised, Hermione. I do know how to read, you know. I never said I was completely stupid."

Hermione stared at him with her jaw dropped. Where did this come from? All of a sudden he was strategizing and recalling facts from memory. From books, of all things! And then he was talking about the enemy like he was some kind of professional profiler. Was this person really their Ron? If so, what did he do with the old Ron?

"What's Felix…" Ginny whispered to Alex.

"It's a kind of good-luck potion," she whispered back, then spoke in a slightly louder voice. "I won't need any. I'm pretty much an expert at Occlumency myself, though you all probably guessed that already."

"Do you have any in storage, Professor Snape?" Ron turned to the reluctant potions professor, whose eye was twitching in irritation.

"No."

"We'll have to make some tonight then. I think we'll need tomorrow to concentrate on more important things. Could we make some tonight?"

"By 'we', you actually mean myself?"

"I'll help," Hermione volunteered.

"Is this necessary?" McGonagall asked.

"Well, I doubt they would think of using it," Ron reasoned. "Like I said, they're too confident in their abilities. They wouldn't resort to using potions to make themselves faster or stronger. That doesn't mean that some of us can't. It should help keep things safer and under control."

"We're talking about this as if we decided to go through with it," McGonagall said. Ron looked to Dumbledore, who would ultimately have the final say. Dumbledore pressed his fingers together as he collected his thoughts.

"This would be very dangerous," was all he said in a simple tone.

"I know," Ron replied. There was no point in denying it. His plan was a bit risky and someone could potentially get hurt if he wasn't careful.

"There will be many people would oppose this plan."

"Of course."

"The parents…your parents most of all, will not appreciate you doing this."

"I can already hear Mom screaming at me."

"Then I suppose that's all I need to say," Dumbledore said with a knowing smile. "You may have access to any resources you need. Tonight, after supper, you can explain your plan to the other students."

"Alrigh…I…what? The others…?" Ron was dumbfounded. So was everyone else. He glanced at Harry, who merely shrugged. "You mean I have to get up and talk in front of the whole school."

"Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said patiently. "This was your idea and yours alone. If you can't stand the thought of public speaking, then how will you manage to organize your plan and see it through?"

"Sure," Ron suddenly had a huge lump in his throat. "Well…I guess we'd better get going. Lots to do before supper."

When the door closed behind the students, Snape immediately expressed his opinion.

"This is complete madness."

"Perhaps madness is exactly what we need right now," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.

Later on, everyone gathered in the Great Hall for supper. It was a full house that night, due to a notice that had gone around an hour or so ago. There was going to be an important announcement after the meal was over. No one really knew what was happening, expect for Harry and his crew. So naturally the hall was buzzing with speculation, though hardly anyone was actually coming close to the truth.

When the dessert dishes were cleared, Dumbledore stood at the head table and the entire hall became still and silent. After a brief introduction, Dumbledore got to the heart of the matter. Voldemort was coming to the school tomorrow. There will likely be a large battle. The school was now under strict surveillance. No owls were allowed to come and go. All floo networks and fireplaces, save for a few in selected areas, were being shut down. No one was to leave the building without Head of House permission.

Dumbledore delivered all this information so quickly and in such an informal way that it took a while for it all to sink in. Most students were initially confused; others thought it was some kind of joke or maybe a test of some kind. Gradually though, they began to realize what was happening. Fear and panic started growing in the pits of their stomachs. But before that panic had a chance to erupt, Dumbledore announced that Mr. Ronald Weasley had something he wanted say.

Now everyone was confused again. The world was coming to an end and the Head Boy wanted to make a speech. Ron Weasley didn't do public speaking. That was Hermione Granger's department. Ron felt his mouth go dry as everyone turned to stare openly at him. Maybe this is how Harry felt sometimes. Ron cursed himself for ever being jealous of Harry and all the attention he received over the years.

Dumbledore gestured to Ron to approach the head table, where he would be in a better place to address the students. Ron took in a deep breath. He could do this.

He needed to do this.

-----

That evening past by in a flurry of preparations, and the next morning was pretty much the same. Everyone was so busy they barely had a chance to stop and breathe. It wasn't until later on in the afternoon that the five Gryffindors had the opportunity to sit down together for a bite to eat. They congregated in the normally out of bounds teacher's lounge. Today was an exception, considering how everyone was involved in the attack that was supposed to come tonight. They needed to stay close to everything in case something happened suddenly.

"We've been on our feet all day," Ron exhaled loudly as he plopped himself down in a chair.

"Tell me about it," Harry groaned.

"How are things going, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Not too bad," Harry shrugged. Harry had spent most of the day with the other members of the Order. Dumbledore figured that Harry would probably play an important role in the battle, therefore he should know exactly was their plans and strategies were. "I'm telling you, though, they could have used your help Ron. You should have heard the things some people were suggesting we do."

"Sorry," Ron said. "I was busy with my own strategies, thank you very much. I think I'm starting to regret opening my big mouth."

"Don't be so modest," Alex started passing around plates with sandwiches. "You were wonderful today. I really like your idea. I mean I really, really like it. That idiot Voldie won't know what hit him. He won't see it coming."

"And you're sure you, me and Hermione will have to…" Ginny started a bit uncertainly.

"I guarantee it," Ron answered instead. "Voldemort is going to have every kind of nasty creature imaginable on his side. We need to be prepared."

"Hey, congratulations," Harry gave Ron a half-hearted thumbs up. "You've finally joined the 'Voldemort' club. It only took you your entire life."

"Well, I figured that if he's really coming, then I might as well leave the 'he must be called You-Know-Who' club."

"And it's about time," Ginny rolled her eyes. "I was getting tired of seeing your pale, sickly face every time someone said his name."

"I agree," Hermione nodded.

"Gee, thanks."

A comfortable silence fell over the small group. They continued to munch quietly on their sandwiches as various teachers came in and out of the room. There wasn't much to say, really. They knew each other so well that they didn't have to exchange words in a time like this. So instead they just sat and enjoyed their time together. They knew that at any moment they would be called back to their posts. Harry would go off with the other professors to prepare for the battle, while the others would return to the Great Hall.

All too soon, Professor McGonagall came briskly through the door to the lounge. All heads turned quickly in her direction.

"It's time," she said. Everyone shot up from their seats. They turned to stare at one another.

"I wish all of this had never happened," Harry said abruptly. "I wish we never had to live through times like this."

"'_So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide_,'" Alex smiled sadly. "'_All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us_.'" The others simply stared at her, wondering how on Earth she came up with such words. "Lord of the Rings." Alex shrugged. "It's one of my favourite quotes." Alex glanced at Hermione and gave her a subtle wink. Hermione just shook her head in exasperation. They had more important things to think about. But everyone just stood where they were, not knowing what to say.

"Do we say goodbye?" Ginny asked in a weary tone.

"Absolutely not," Ron insisted. "We'll all live through this."

"We need to have a group hug, though," Hermione smiled slightly. The five teens came together to form a circle with their arms rapped around each other. This would be their last moment together, but hopefully would see each other soon.

"You know, they say you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family," Harry said quietly, looking into the faces around the circle. "But they don't say anything about when your friends are your family."

"Harry," Hermione's eyes started shining with tears.

"I thought we weren't going to say goodbye," Alex said.

"I'm not," Harry replied. "I just want to let you guys know. Sometimes I take for granted the way you're always there for me, no matter what. And I never say 'thank you' enough."

"You never have to," Ron said. "Now let's go put Voldemort away for good."

-----

**A/N:** As always, please review. Brownie points to anyone who can identify the Lord of the Rings character who says the line Alex quoted!

**Next Chapter:** it's the day of destiny...what will happen?


	29. Liberation Day

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. I'm sorry for the delay; I've been trying to upload this chapter since Sunday. As a warning, there is some slight swearing in this chapter, but it's nothing too bad.

Well, this is it! Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 29 – Liberation Day **

Harry, the other professors, members of the Order, and a small army of Aurors all stood waiting outside the school. There was about two hundred in total. No one expected it to be enough but it was all they could do in such short notice. So for now, they could only hope that it would be enough. They had tried to send messengers to Romania for some Dragons. Fingers were also crossed, hoping that no giants would show to support Voldemort's side. After Hagrid's failed attempt two years ago to recruit the giants, the outlook did not look good. So any help was good help at the moment, since Voldemort was sure to have a huge army backing him up.

The sun was quickly setting below the horizon. Everyone watched as it eventually slipped away from view. They stood before the main doors of the school, looking out over the grounds. The path through the main gates was to their far left and the Quidditch pitch was ahead of them, just to the right. Many agreed that Voldemort would try attacking from the West. The Forbidden Forest was to the East and it might be too difficult maneuvering an army through the thickness of the trees. There was more room to the West, allowing for faster and easier access to the school.

Part of Harry really couldn't believe that they were here at this point. They had finally made it after years of fighting back and forth. Tonight would be different, though. This would be the final battle. One side would not be walking away from this. Seven years of his life, his whole life, actually, had finally come down to this.

"Where is he?" Harry eventually whispered to Dumbledore, who stood firmly beside him.

"I don't think we'll have to wait much longer," Dumbledore shifted, as though he sensed something different. Harry glanced over the grounds again and saw a dark mass approaching.

Holy crap.

It was extremely large and it was moving steadily towards them. Harry wasn't stupid. He realized that it was Voldemort and his army but that didn't stop him from being shocked upon seeing its sheer volume. Harry knew that he was no battle expert so he didn't even try to guess the number of those enemy troops. If he had been Ron, then he might have been able to tell that there were roughly five hundred. Then again, maybe his lack of expertise was a good thing. A wise man in a movie once said, "Never tell me the odds."

Two hundred against five hundred. Surely Harry was better off not knowing the odds.

The army came closer and closer. It soon became apparent that the wards that normally protected the castle were completely useless by now. Without a doubt, Voldemort had anticipated this problem and had taken whatever steps necessary to get rid of them. Luckily this wasn't really a surprise for the home team. They had anticipated this anticipation, so everyone merely readied themselves for battle.

Soon they were close enough that Harry could identify certain creatures amongst the army. Besides the expected Death Eaters, Harry saw werewolves, hags, vampires, and other such evil nasties. Oh, joy.

And that's when Harry spotted him. He was right there, front and center, surrounded by all of his cronies. He wore long, billowing black robes that looked to be made of silk or some similar material. Go figure. Harry had to stop himself from snorting in indignation. Here they were going into a battle and Voldemort comes dressed like he's going into a ball. What a pompous, irritating arsehole.

He was so getting his ass kicked tonight.

-----

Harry couldn't remember which side actually made the first move. All he knew was one minute both sides were just standing there, glaring at each other, and the next minute they were at each other necks. Voldemort's side flew forward with snarls and roars, while the Hogwart's group responded with their own cries and shouts. Hexes were being thrown about everywhere. The two armies were slowly beginning to mix together so that eventually people were surrounded by allies and enemies. It became harder and more difficult to watch your back.

Not that Harry had to worry about that too much. It annoyed him immensely but he was very aware that he had a small personal guard fighting around him. It was no secret that Dumbledore, Remus, Mad-Eye, McGonagall, Hagrid, and Mr. Weasley were battling the enemies yet were also keeping a close eye on him. At least they were letting him fight his own fights. He had a suspicious feeling, though, that he would have more help than he would need if something were to go wrong. For the moment, Harry tried to convince himself that they were all working together, equally, as a team. That made the whole situation a lot easier to bear.

After a few minutes, even though it seemed like forever, a sudden thought came to Harry. He had been so involved with the beginning of the fight that he had lost track of Voldemort. During a lull in his opponents, Harry whipped his head from left to right, then behind him. He tried to find any sign of the Dark Lord or something that would maybe indicate where he was amongst the crowd. That's when he spotted a particularly active looking area, where the hexes were overwhelming and colors were flashing everywhere.

Bingo.

That has to be him, Harry thought to himself. Before he could do anything else, though, his attention was brought back down to Earth as he was swiftly attacked by another Death Eater. And since he was so occupied, Harry failed to notice that the concentration of hexes was coming closer and closer to where he fought. He finished the Death Eater off with a body binding hex. He looked up, only to see Voldemort standing merely a few feet away, with Peter half-hiding behind him like a shadow.

The other professors and Order members also became aware of their appearance. It was quite bizarre, actually. There were nine of them in total, all pretty much completely frozen while everyone else continued fighting around them. Even though they were still as statues, glaring at each other, no one ever dared touch a single one of them. It was as if the others knew that this was a private battle, and no one was going to be stupid enough to step in the middle of it.

What annoyed Harry the most was the superior looking smirk that Voldemort wore on his face. Why did the bloody jerk have to be so cocky?

"Why, hello Harry," Voldemort bowed mockingly at him. "I'm surprised to see you out here amidst the dangers of the battle. I have to admit, I thought they would have kept you locked up somewhere safe and away from all this ugly business."

Harry knew Voldemort was trying to bait him. That much was glaringly obvious. But much of tonight would depend on him, Harry Potter, and how well he could hold himself together. He could not afford to lose his head in this game. That would only give Voldemort the advantage. Instead he took a deep breath before he replied.

"I've earned to right to be here, Tom," Harry said, purposely using Voldemort's original name. "My friends trust me and they know I need to be here."

Voldemort's face instantly soured at the mere mention of his old, Muggle-based name. His eyes briefly moved to glance at Dumbledore. "Been teaching him a few tricks, Dumbledore?" Voldemort sneered. "Only you have been so bold to call me by _that_ name."

"Actually, Tom, he came up with that one all on his own," Dumbledore said, radiating a peaceful calm. "I had nothing to do with it. And I think you'll find that Harry has grown up quite a bit since the last time you met."

"We'll see about that," Voldemort quickly returned his scowl over to Harry. Harry met his gaze with confidence.

"How've you been, Peter?" Harry asked, never taking his eyes off Voldemort. "How's servitude treating you lately?"

"The Dark Lord treats all his loyal servants well," Peter replied importantly like a trained pet.

"Funny. I'd rather be my own person than a servant," Harry mused. "But that's just me. I guess freewill isn't that important to some people."

Voldemort suddenly broke out in amused laughter. "Harry Potter, you haven't changed a bit. You are still as arrogant and naïve as ever."

"Care to explain yourself?" Harry asked patiently.

"You still think you are this clever little boy who can beat me yet again," Voldemort said. "And yet you never learn from your mistakes. You are always underestimating me."

"What do you mean?" Harry started looking a bit worried.

"Do you honestly think you could hide it from me?" Voldemort replied calculatingly. "You want me to believe that Hogwarts is empty, that you have evacuated the students to a safe location. But I happen to know that your fellow students are actually hiding in your Great Hall."

"You're wrong," Harry breathed, but of course something in his eyes gave it away.

"And you tried so hard to keep their location a secret," Voldemort smiled coldly at him. "I think I will send a group of my Death Eaters to take care of them for me. Better yet, I think I will send reinforcements with them as well." Voldemort turned his head ever so slightly over his shoulder. "Wormtail," he ordered. "Send twenty of my most…creative Death Eaters to deal with this situation. And make sure that our special guests go with them."

"Right away, my Lord," Peter bowed his head before he took off into the crowd. Not even a minute later, Harry and the others could see several Death Eaters fighting their way through the masses until they reached the main doors. Then suddenly the air was filled with an icy chill and he could feel goose bumps forming on his arms and neck.

Oh, no.

Harry strained to see them in the growing darkness but he was sure they were there. A group of at least one hundred Dementors were heading for the school just behind the Death Eaters. And there was likely nothing he could do to stop them.

"Don't worry, Harry," Voldemort mock reassured him. "I promise you that their deaths will be quick and painless, unless the Dementors get to them first."

Harry turned back to glare at Voldemort. His face was desperately struggling to stay calm. His mind, however, was a different story.

Just a little bit longer, Harry thought to himself. It's actually working!

-----

When the group of Death Eaters came to the large double doors of the Great Hall, they paused. Of course, it was magically sealed but it was nothing they couldn't handle. In an instant, the doors burst open and were thrown back against the inside walls. The first few Death Eaters filed into the Great Hall, only to stop in hesitation. They had expected to find a room full of students; young and vulnerable students of all ages.

What they saw instead was a barricade of tables flipped over on their sides…and behind those barricades stood about one hundred fierce looking older students with their wands drawn.

Now the Death Eaters were outnumbered, five to one.

Before they could even register what was happening, the tall, red-headed student in the middle of the group raised his wand in the air.

"WANDS!!" Ron shouted out to the rest of the students. Ten instantaneous Expelliarmus charms and ten Accio charms were hurled towards the Death Eaters. Five of them watched in disbelief as their wands actually managed to slip out of their grasps. Ron didn't give them any time to recover. "WANDS!!" he bellowed again, then followed up with a "MOUTHS!!" This time ten different students sent Silencing charms towards the enemies.

By this time the Death Eaters had managed to recover enough to start sending hexes back towards the students. The ones who had lost their wands, and the few who had just lost their voices, began surging forward in hopes of storming the barricade.

"WANDS AT WILL!! MOUTHS AT WILL!! AND FIRE!!" Ron ordered. The Summoning and Silencing charms kept on coming at constant intervals. Ten more students cast fire from their wands halting the Death Eaters in their tracks, though only for a moment. In their haste, though, the Death Eaters failed to notice that the floor in front of them was covered in a slick, clear liquid. Four of them collapsed on the floor as their feet flew out from beneath them.

Several students down the line started up Shield charms in order to protect themselves and their fellow students. A few more immediately cast spells that wrapped the fallen Death Eaters in tight, binding ropes.

"FIRE!!" Ron ordered again. This time the students split up their fire and directed it towards the side ranks of the enemy. As expected, it made the Death Eaters come closer together.

"Spread out!" one Death Eater shouted to the others, but it was useless. As much as they tried to take down the students, the little brats were just too prepared. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They weren't supposed to be organized into little groups and attack them using simple, elementary charms.

"STOPPERS" Ron bellowed. Over two dozen charms of the "Petrificus Totalus", "Impedimenta", and "Stupefy" variety were shooting across the room. There was just no stopping them. Eight more Death Eaters either froze on the spot or came crashing to the floor, leaving eight left. Those eight tried to step up the pace of their hexes but not much was getting through. The students in charge of the Shield charms really knew what they were doing.

"RELEASE THE CREATURES!!" Ron shouted. Dozens of small canaries came fluttering around and around the Death Eaters drawing some of their attention away. Using the distraction to their advantage, the students continued belting their charms at the enemy until the final eight were on the floor and bound with ropes as well.

"We got them!" Alex whooped with glee as they marveled at their work.

"Don't celebrate yet," Ron warned. "Stay alert."

"Ron," Ginny motioned towards the door. They were felt before they were even spotted. For whatever reason, they had stayed behind while the Death Eaters took the hits.

"Dementors," Hermione hissed. A huge mass of the deadly creatures appeared in the double doors.

"STAY DOWN!!" Ron shouted to the other students. "Are you ready, girls?"

"Absolutely," Alex readied herself.

"Ginny?"

"I'll be okay," Ron noticed how his sister was slightly tense, but he knew she would be okay.

"Hermione?"

"I…" yes, she was ready, but a part of her was hesitating. "I'm…yes. Ready."

"GO!!" Ron cried out.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!!" Ginny shouted, her face set in fierce determination. A great, silvery dragon erupted from the end of her wand. It opened its huge mouth and instantly swooped down upon the unsuspecting Dementors.

"Hermione?" Alex shook her shoulder. Hermione just stood there staring at the Dementors. Voices were filling her mind. She could hear her parents. They were screaming for her. "Hermione, we need you! Shit! EXPECTO PATRONUM!!" A few Dementors had gotten past the dragon and were heading around the side to attack the students. Alex's Patronus tried to intercept them.

"I…I can't," Hermione breathed. She didn't think it would be like this. It didn't feel like this before, back in Third Year. It was never this bad. Her legs began to feel weak and it was only Ron's arms that quickly grabbed her around her waist that prevented her from falling. "Ron, I don't think I can do this. I can hear them, Ron."

"You can do this," Ron tightened his grip on her. The two didn't even pay attention to what was going on around them. Ron just knew that Ginny and Alex needed help and Hermione's Patronus would probably tip the scales. "Look at me, Hermione. You can do this. Think of something happy!"

"I can't think," Hermione looked up at him fearfully. "I can't think of anything now. Ron, what are we going to…"

Afterwards, Ron would never completely understand why he did what he did that day. He just knew that had to do it.

Essentially cutting her off, Ron pulled Hermione closer into a deep kiss. She gasped in surprise as her normally efficient brain tried to catch up with what was happening. Ron was kissing her! Hermione's arms instinctively reached up and rapped themselves in a loop around his neck. A part of her felt like she was drowning so she held on for dear life. Then it felt like her body was on fire. She never knew kissing could be like this. Sure Victor Krum had kissed her once or twice but those kisses felt so meaningless and awkward. This was so completely different.

The kiss lasted for a few more moments before they finally broke it off, breathing heavily. Ron still held Hermione close as he lowered his forehead to hers and looked into her eyes. "Go make me proud!" he whispered urgently as he brought his hand up to her face. She nodded slightly with a growing smile on her face. She took a step backwards and readied her wand. This time there was no hesitation in her stance.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!!" Hermione's silvery otter appeared and she wasted no time in directing it towards the Dementors. It spun dizzying circles around their heads, slapping its tail repeatedly in their faces. With the addition of a third, powerful Patronus the Dementors never had a chance. Many started running as fast as they could for the door.

"Hermione, look," Hermione turned back to look at Ron, only to see him staring at something else. She followed his gaze and her mouth dropped open.

"Oh, my God."

Ginny's dragon was working wonders along side an enormous dog.

"Padfoot."

-----

The battle was not going well, or at least it was going well for Voldemort. Harry and Dumbledore were busy trying to keep Voldemort occupied. As he tried to remain focused, Harry instinctively knew that their side was taking a heavy beating. There were just too many enemy troops for them to make any progress. Their people were falling left, right and center. If something didn't change soon, then they were going to be in deep trouble here.

Harry could save sworn that Alex said they would win this thing. Something must have changed. Something must have happened and now they were paying the consequences. How much longer could they hold out? The worst part was no one was coming to their rescue. This was it. They had maybe a few more minutes before everything came crashing down.

Suddenly there was a big commotion coming from the front entrance to the school. Everyone in the area paused to look as a long stream of Dementors came tearing out of the main doors and out into the night. They ran as though their cloaks were on fire and they didn't even stop; they kept running and didn't look back. Harry turned and gave Voldemort a little smirk.

"Looks like your Dementor friends ran into a slight problem," he quipped. "And I don't think your Death Eaters will be coming back either. But don't worry; they're in a safe location now. They're well taken care of."

Voldemort fumed with anger as he began to realize what had happened. Then in a heartbeat, he anger was swept away and was replaced with his usual air of confidence. "Do you honestly think that a few dispensable Death Eaters will make a difference in this war," he laughed mockingly. "As I said before, Harry, you are naïve. If you haven't noticed before, dear boy, your side is losing."

Almost to prove a point, the ground swiftly started rumbling. Once again, something was drawing everyone's attention. This time, though, people were turning towards the West. Harry felt a sickening rush of dread flow through his body. If they were losing before, they were dead now. Voldemort was going to win.

There were about forty giants thundering their way across the back fields towards them.

"Finally," Voldemort smiled in pleasure. "As you can see, more reinforcements have arrived."

Several Death Eaters gave a roaring cheer as they spotted the approaching giants. Almost as a response, the giants picked up their pace. They raised their weapons: huge clubs, tree trunks, boulders, whatever they could get their hands on. They were getting closer and closer.

I guess this is it, Harry thought grimly. In the end we'll all be trampled by giants. What a way to go.

"Wait a minute," Harry could hear Hagrid shout over the rumble. He looked around and found him. Hagrid was squinting hard as he examined the approaching giants. Suddenly his eyes flew open in surprise. "Golgomath's not with 'em," he croaked excitedly, though Harry had no idea what he was talking about. "Golgomath's not the Gurg!"

Harry's head quickly whipped around to stare at the giants. The leader, a huge ugly character, drew his arm back to take a huge, destructive swing. And he swiftly brought it crashing through the nearest groups of Death Eaters; not Aurors!

In that instant, the tone of the battle changed as everyone realized that the giants were starting to attack Voldemort's troops instead of Hogwarts'. The Aurors let out a united cheer and the Death Eaters turned pale with fear. Harry glanced at Voldemort and was amused to see that the Dark Lord was looking quite furious by now.

"Reinforcements, huh?" Harry wanted to laugh. "Looks like someone wasn't too pleased with their previous manager."

Voldemort glared harshly in return. "If there's one thing you learn about warfare, it's that you always have a contingency plan," he explained curtly. He raised his wand but Harry was ready for him. Voldemort advanced on Harry and Dumbledore with even more determination than before.

Unfortunately, they didn't know what he was planning until it was too late. Voldemort waited for the right moment when Dumbledore was just far enough away from Harry. His hand suddenly shot out and gripped Harry by the sleeve of his robes. Harry had just enough time to glance up at Dumbledore and see the alarmed look on his face. But before Dumbledore could do anything, Harry and Voldemort had vanished.

-----

"Where is he?!" Ron demanded venomously as Hermione put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She wasn't exactly wearing a cheery expression either. Neither were Alex, Ginny or Neville.

As soon as Harry and Voldemort had disappeared, Dumbledore, the other professors and Order members took immediate action. They all decided to leave the battle grounds out side and trust that everything would go smoothly now that the giants had arrived. They assembled in the Great Hall, where they were confronted by several angry students.

"How could this happen?!" Ron continued shouting at the adults. "I thought you all would be watching over him?"

"Mr. Weasley," McGonagall chided him on his tone of voice. "Please remain calm."

"Remain calm?!" Ron cried incredulously. "This is my best friend we're talking about! You knew Voldemort would want to go after him and yet you all let this happen!"

"Ron," Hermione whispered warningly.

"If you must blame someone, Mr. Weasley, then blame me," Dumbledore said humbly. "Harry and I were fighting Voldemort. I should have been the one to stop him. If it helps, then you can blame me."

"Well blaming anyone isn't going to do any good," Ron admitted grudgingly. "What are we going to do next?"

"There isn't much time," Dumbledore said. "Harry may only have minutes left. We need to find out where they have Apparated to. We may only have one opportunity to choose correctly. If we choose the wrong location we may be too late."

The group frantically searched their minds for any clue or any other ideas.

"The graveyard where Voldemort returned," Mad-Eye Moody suggested.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore mused.

"The Department of Mysteries," Remus said.

"Tempting, but I think that would be too crowded, even for Voldemort."

"What about the Chamber of Secrets," Ginny offered softly.

"I think that would be a bit too close."

"So then that rules out the chamber where the Mirror of Erised was stored," Hermione reasoned.

"Voldemort's parents' place?" Snape suggested. Unfortunately he had not heard anything about this. Voldemort must have kept this a closely guarded plan.

"He'll want it to be significant," Ron thought out loud. "If he plans to kill Harry, then it will be a place that means everything…" Everyone looked to Ron as understanding slowly spread across his face.

"I think I know where they are."

-----

Harry knew he was in trouble. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out. Voldemort was probably taking him to some remote location where he could dispose of Harry's body. And yet the funniest thing about this situation was that despite its seriousness, Harry was still able to find some humour in it.

Not again, Harry thought ironically. Why do they always want to drag me away to deal with me?

As soon as they had landed in their new destination, Harry immediately took note of his surroundings. They were in a patch of forest. There was nothing spectacular about it. Harry doubted that it was a dangerous place like the Forbidden Forest. There probably weren't any magical creatures around either.

But then Harry noticed a house far off in the distance, barely visible through the darkness and the trees. Not only that, but there also appeared to be the remains of something else, maybe another foundation of a house, just a few meters away. Harry thought he could also see a clearing beyond the other house. That could possibly mean a road or a driveway of some kind. Could this be a small town or a village? If so, Harry didn't recognize it. But why would Voldemort bring them here of all places?

"I doubt you remember this place."

Harry turned to glare at Voldemort. That's when he noticed that they weren't alone. Peter was also there as well as four other Death Eaters. Okay, so the odds were still not in his favour, though Harry tried not to think about it. He needed to stay focused here.

"No, I don't," he replied. There wasn't any point in denying it.

"Well, I did not expect you to," Voldemort said smoothly. "After all, you were only fifteen months old when it happened." Voldemort watched with satisfaction as it finally came to Harry where they were.

"Godric's Hollow," Harry inhaled deeply. "We're in Godric's Hollow." And that ruin over there…that must be all that was left of his old house.

"Where we first met," Voldemort confirmed. "Where I had the pleasure of killing your parents."

"Yeah, and then your wonderful plan went to Hell," Harry snapped. "What happened exactly? Oh, yeah, you couldn't even kill a little boy."

"An unfortunate incident," Voldemort sighed dramatically. Then, before Harry could even shout out a spell to defend himself, Voldemort flicked his wand casually. Harry found himself thrown against the nearest tree with ropes binding him tightly against it. His wand had flown out of hand and it landed neatly in Voldemort's grasp. "Now I have a chance to finish the job properly."

Harry cursed himself for letting his guard down, even for a moment. Now he was tied up, without a weapon. He tried Apparating away but that didn't seem to work. Voldemort probably had something to do with that. He tried to think of a way out of this, but nothing came to mind. Did anyone even know they were here? Probably not. Why would anyone consider this place? Harry seriously doubted that help was on the way. He was alone; he would have to save himself.

"I suppose you've been waiting a long time for this," Harry said, deciding that stalling was a good defense tactic for the moment.

"I have indeed," Voldemort replied contently.

"Is that Lucius Malfoy?" Harry asked, squinting at one of the other Death Eaters. He was sure he had caught a glimpse of pale blonde hair. The Death Eater in question threw back his hood, revealing that it was indeed Lucius Malfoy. That gave Harry had a sudden idea. "Well, how about that! Looks like we're only missing good old Snape and our party would be complete."

"Snape?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Snape," Harry said. "I've been told repeatedly from others that Severus Snape isn't a Death Eater but I've never believed them. Snape loathes the sight of me; that must mean he's one of you. Plus I've never trusted him in my life."

"I find it difficult to trust him as well," Voldemort said, causing Harry to pause in confusion. "What's the matter, Harry? Did you really think that Snape could be a double agent and I wouldn't know? I have known about his dual loyalties for years. Who do you think went crawling to Dumbledore, telling him that I would be going after the Potters?"

Harry's mind reeled with this new information. Voldemort knew that Snape was playing both sides. And Snape was the one who warned Dumbledore. Snape had tried to save his parents. "Why didn't you do anything about it?" he asked, completely confused. "You could have had him killed."

"That is true," Voldemort agreed. "But then I realized how valuable he could be. Snape had managed to obtain a teaching position at Hogwarts. Even though he would be able to tell Dumbledore some of my plans, the door could work both ways. So you see, there was no point in killing him…yet."

"But you're going to kill me, though," Harry asked bitterly.

"That is the plan."

Wonderful. Harry glanced over the six people standing before him. These people could very well kill him. All Voldemort had to do was raise his wand and Harry would be gone. Should he be scared? Harry wondered what would happen to everyone else if he died. He thought about his friends and even about the people he didn't know. There were millions of people out there who would be affected if Voldemort actually won this time. What would actually happen?

Harry had always imagined that the world would literally come to an end if Voldemort ever gained any amount of power. He was so sure that the world would be left in ruins. But what if he was wrong? Who said it actually had to be like that? History was full of terrible and ruthless dictators but the world survived. There was always hope in every situation, in every moment in history. Did people in the past give up and accept the lives they were expected to live? Of course not. What did these people in the past do? How did they continue on with their lives?

A sudden feeling came washing over him. It was an unexpected wave of calmness and acceptance. He knew what would happen. The world would move on. In the end, when it came to the big picture it didn't matter if he lived or died. He had been so concerned with the prophecy before. Harry had thought that he needed to survive in order for everyone to have any hope. In the end, it was just a prophecy. Nothing was set in stone. If he died, then so what? Life would still continue, no matter what.

"Go ahead, then," Harry said. "Kill me."

"You are so eager to die, then?" Voldemort smiled coldly.

"No," Harry shrugged his shoulders a bit. "It's just that my death won't really mean anything. I'm just one person. If you thought that you could win by killing me, then you're wrong."

"I hardly think so."

"If I die," Harry explained carefully. "There will be thousands of people behind me who will stop at nothing to bring you down."

"No one would dare attack me when I'm through with you," Voldemort laughed darkly. "When the Boy-Who-Lived is finally dead, everyone will fear me."

"Everyone will hate you," Harry corrected him. "And times are changing. People aren't so afraid of you anymore. People who refused to say your name before are now saying it freely and openly. You are losing your influence on them. They won't stand by while you tell them what to do. If anything, my death will bring them together into one big army. You won't be able to fight them forever. So by all means, kill me. I just hope you're ready for the angry mobs that will soon be after you.

"And since you're so interested in immortality, you'll be able to spend the rest of your eternal life in Hell after you die."

At this point, Harry honestly didn't care if he lived or died. He thought it was only proper to let Voldemort know what he was in for. Throughout the entire exchange Harry had kept an eye on Voldemort, with quick glances towards Peter and Malfoy. All were getting pretty irritated by now, though Peter seemed especially anxious. Harry didn't have time to think about this, though. Voldemort raised his wand directly at his face.

"Wormtail," Voldemort said, bringing his faithful servant to his side. "I want you to make sure that Mr. Potter doesn't try to escape."

With a flick of his wand, Harry found himself falling face down to the ground. Harry hit the forest floor with a thud, knocking the breath out of him. He slowly made his way to his feet and saw that Peter was standing nearly right beside him on his left. Peter also had a wand pointing towards his face. What were they afraid of? He was weaponless and alone. What was he going to do, sneeze on them?

And why was Peter's wand shaking so much?

"Farewell, Harry Potter," Voldemort said wistfully. "I shall miss our stimulating conversations."

Harry raised his chin proudly as Voldemort started the incantation for the Killing Curse. The typical, bright green light came flying from the wand towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Peter take a step backwards, probably just to get out of the way.

Then, almost in slow motion, Harry saw Peter step on a protruding rock. Peter lost his balance. Instead of falling backwards like he normally would, some invisible force caused Peter to fall forwards…

…Into the path of the oncoming curse.

There was nothing anyone could do to stop it. It hit Peter in his side as he crashed to the ground. Everyone stared at him for a long moment. He was motionless and eerily still.

Harry looked up into Voldemort's face and saw that he was just as shocked as he was. Then, another curse came flying over Harry's shoulder. It hit Voldemort directly in the chest, causing him to fall backwards.

Harry spun around and saw Snape racing towards him, along with Dumbledore, McGonagall, Remus, Hagrid, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Alex. For a few seconds, Harry just stood there, dumbfounded. In those few seconds, hexes flew back and forth until the other Death Eaters decided to Apparate from the area.

"Harry!" Hermione launched herself into the arms of one stunned Harry, nearly knocking themselves over in the process. "Oh, Harry, you're alright!"

"What…how…" Harry didn't know where to start.

"We figured it out," Ron said, coming up behind Hermione.

"But…" a million thoughts were buzzing through Harry's head. A few seconds ago he was ready to face his death. Now he held a hysterical best friend in his arms. "What happened? Who won the fight?"

"Who do you think?" Ginny snorted. "I'd say the deal was sealed after the giants came and then the dragons even showed up."

"Dragons!"

"Yeah, just before we took off," Ron grinned. "It was beautiful. They were burning Death Eaters to a crisp. I think I even caught a glimpse of Charlie at one point."

"Hermione," Ginny shook her head. "Let him breathe, will you?"

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Hermione stood back and tried to compose herself, though she still had a steady grip on Harry's shoulders. "I'm just so glad you're okay. We thought that…that maybe we wouldn't…"

"Get here in time," Harry finished for her. "Yeah, that thought crossed my mind too."

"Harry," all the students turned to see Dumbledore standing there looking at them. Harry glanced at him, then over to the bodies of Peter and Voldemort. Neither one had moved from where they had fallen. Harry stared at them in disbelief.

"Are they…?"

"Both dead," Snape confirmed, crouching over Voldemort's body and retrieving Harry's wand.

"But I thought…" Harry turned back to Dumbledore in complete confusion. "I thought the prophecy said he had to…or I had to…"

"Snape's hex killed him, Harry," Dumbledore explained.

"But I thought I had to," Harry said in astonishment. "How could Snape…"

"Do you recall a certain conversation we had four years ago," Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Do you remembering me telling you that there may come a day when you would be glad you saved Peter's life?"

Harry felt his stomach twist. "You mean…?"

"I believe that Peter died to save you," Dumbledore said. "Whether it was intentional or not, you two had a bond of blood because of your actions four years ago. Peter may not have had a choice; he was meant to save your life. It is quite possible that he died in your place."

"But the prophecy said I had to kill Voldemort or he had to kill me," Harry wondered if he would ever understand this.

"Prophecies can be interpreted in different ways," Dumbledore reasoned. "Maybe by killing Peter in your place, Voldemort somehow satisfied that part of the prophecy. Perhaps that is why Professor Snape was able to kill Voldemort; the prophecy had been fulfilled."

Okay…maybe this actually worked in some weird, strange, coincidental kind of way.

"This is just like Luke and Darth Vader and Frodo and Gollum," Alex thought out loud quietly. "The bad guy redeems himself in the end and manages to complete the quest, whether he likes it or not."

"Alex?"

"Yeah?" Alex, who had been staring at the bodies, looked to Harry, only to realize that everyone was now staring at her.

"When would you like to…?"

"Oh," Alex blinked in surprise. "I guess I'd better do it now." Reaching into her robe pocket, Alex pulled out the little matchbox. She opened it up and took out a tiny slip of parchment. She closed the matchbox and stuffed it back into her pocket.

Alex approached bodies carefully. She glanced quickly at Peter before she concentrated on Voldemort. Walking right up to him, she knelt on the ground right beside him. The others gathered around at a respectable distance and watched as she unfolded the bit of parchment. Alex read the inscription and took a shaky breath.

Raising her wand, she did the required swish and flick.

"Animus Perium!" she cried as the end of her wand started to glow. Everyone stared in awe as Voldemort's body started glowing as well. "Animus Perium!"

The body slowly started to fade and then suddenly started breaking apart like a sandcastle. Everything was slowly turning into a pile of dust.

"Animus Perium!!" Alex shouted a third time. Harry noticed the tears that were flowing down her face.

"Alex?"

"ANIMUS PERIUM!!" Alex finally screamed. Harry quickly approached her when she started beating the dust with her fists. "ANIMUS PERIUM!!! DIE YOU BLOODY BASTARD!!"

"Alex!" Harry cried as he tried to gather her in his arms. At first Alex tried to refuse, insisting on destroying the last remains of the wizard who had seemed so focused on ruining her family. After a moment, she finally stopped fighting. She fell into Harry's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I want him to die!!" Alex screamed through her tears. "I want the bastard to die!!

"I know," Harry whispered as he held her tight, his own eyes quickly filling with tears.

"I can't take it anymore," Alex sobbed. "I can't be strong anymore. I'm sorry Harry, I can't do it."

"It's okay," now the tears were flowing down his face as well. Everything he had ever felt, all the emotions he had kept bottled up over the years, all the devastation over his parent's death was finally coming to the surface. "I'm tired of being strong too. But he's gone. He can't hurt us anymore. I won't let him hurt us anymore."

The others just stood back and let the two Potters grieve. There was nothing they could do. Years of pain and anguish were pouring out in Harry and Alex's tears. And as much as everyone else had loved them and had been there for them in the past, only the two Potters could ever truly understand what it meant to carry the Potter name.

So that is why Harry and Alex were left to grieve together and hopefully start healing their battered hearts.

-----

A/N: This is not the end! I have one final chapter planned. Please review and let me know what you think of the end. It is my honest belief that Peter will die in some way at the end of book seven. It's just too much of a coincidence that Harry saved Peter's life and then Dumbledore said what he did at the end of PoA. Peter will play an important role in the end, I think.

And more brownie points to whoever can guess who said "Never tell me the odds." It's from a famous movie. (Hint: think director George Lucas)


	30. Aftermath

**Soul of the Enemy **

By Willow Spirit

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**A/N**: Well, this is finally it. I first came up with the concept for this story two and a half years ago. I've been working on it ever since (talk about life getting in the way!) Now it's finally finished and it feels wonderful. I hope you enjoyed it.

And Merry Christmas to everyone out there. Happy holidays to everyone, whatever you celebrate this time of year. And if you don't celebrate anything, that's cool too. Peace and joy all around, it's all good!

**Chapter 30 – Aftermath **

Four days after the big day, Hogwarts finally got to have a proper graduation ceremony (many of the non-essential exams had been canceled, much to the pleasure of most of the students.) So on a sunny day in mid-June, all the family and friends gathered together and tried their best to celebrate after such a traumatic event. It was a simple ceremony; it probably would have been a completely bored to tears kind of ceremony too had it not been for the elected student speaker.

Said speaker currently stood at the podium on the stage, looking out over the crowd of students and families. He really, really, hated democracy at this point, but he wasn't going to let anybody down. He knew he had been elected because of his "brilliant" and "amazing" plans that had allowed students to participate in the recent battle. This was the price he had to pay.

"Hello everyone," Ron nervously began his speech. "I…err…well, first of all, I just want to say that I'm not very good at speeches. I do have something prepared but it's probably not very good. So after a lot of thought, I don't think I'll be using that speech today after all."

Ron happened to glance at Harry and Hermione where they sat amongst the other graduates. They both gave him encouraging nods to continue. So that's exactly what he did.

"I don't know why I ever became Head Boy," he admitted honestly, earning a few chuckles from the crowd. "I honestly don't know what the professors were thinking. They must have made the decision at a late night pub session, or something, because I think it's just plain madness. I didn't think I was Head Boy material and I was sure that someone else could have done the job much better than I ever could. It's not surprising, really. Anyone who really knew me knew that I wasn't the fastest broom in the shed. I was just Ron Weasley, youngest son from the Weasley family and I certainly wasn't anything important. My older brothers, they were all talented in their own way, but not me. Not Ron Weasley.

"Then something happened. A certain Dark Lord wanted to come here and pick a fight with us, which, by the way, wasn't such a bright idea. At that point, everything changed here. So many people were afraid of him before but we couldn't afford to be anymore. Something had to be done and we couldn't be afraid. It was one of those moments in your life when you had to make a choice: you could scream and run for cover or you could stand your ground and fight. You had to use your abilities to fight and protect this school that we all love because it's our home away from home. For some of us, it was really our only home.

"So some of us who may have been afraid and quiet before suddenly had to step up and be brave. And sometimes that's exactly what we have to do sometimes. It's so easy just to go through life with your head down. Believe me, I know from experience. You look around at the world and the others around you and sometimes you feel intimidated, especially if you're surrounded by people who are powerful and successful in their own way. So you think to yourself that it's easier to try and be invisible. You don't set your standards high because then no one will expect much from you. Sometimes it's better to have lower standards so that if you fail, you won't have so far to fall and the people around you won't be disappointed in you.

"But I think I've finally learned that that's no way to live. It's not right only being half of what you could be. We're only on this Earth for a little while so why not kick some butt while we're here. I think that some of us proved just how great we can be when we fought against those Death Eaters a few days ago. Sure it was scary, but I think it was bloody brilliant. For the first time in my life I really felt like I was doing something worth while. I'm sure some of you felt the same way too. The strange part is, though, it was all right there in the first place. All we needed was a chance like that to bring it out of us.

"And you can be sure that we made history four days ago. Years down the road people will think back and remember us as the group of students who fought for our school. How many other students can actually say that? We will be remembered for our actions. We will go out there into the real world and we will make a difference. We will be known as the generation of fighters.

"I hope that's what everyone will keep in mind as we end our time here at Hogwarts. And as we get out there and start our new lives, please don't forget your fellow classmates. We spent seven years together. Many of us fought side by side, and it didn't even matter which house you came from. Today as we leave, we leave as Hogwarts graduates, as one united group.

"So never forget what happened here this week and never stop being who you really are. I guess that's all I have to say, so I just want to say thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak to all of you."

The applause was so loud and deafening, the people down in Hogsmeade stopped dead in their tracks, wondering if a huge storm was approaching.

-----

Everyone was finally able to catch up with each other later on at the reception. After the required socializing was over, the Weasleys, Harry, Alex and Hermione all gathered together in a secluded corner to have a more private conversation.

"So this is it," Mrs. Weasley said, dabbing a handkerchief at the corners of her eyes. "My little Ron has finally graduated. I'm so proud you, sweetheart."

"That was a magnificent speech, son," Mr. Weasley beamed with pride. "Couldn't have done it better myself." Everyone else agreed heartily.

"I still can't believe it's over," Ron said.

"I know," Hermione sighed. It was both sad and exciting at the same time. "I wonder what's going to happen now."

"Well…" Harry started, glancing at Ron with a knowing look. "If you don't have any other plans…"

"We were kind of thinking that maybe we could all live together," Ron finished. "And once we all find jobs, we can complain about having to work."

"But where…?" Hermione looked back and forth between them with a surprised expression.

"And you're supposed to be the smart one in the group," Harry rolled his eyes.

"We're staying at your place if you still want it," Ron shook his head like it was obvious. "Weren't you the one saying you didn't know if you wanted to give it up? You were the one looking for roommates, don't you remember?"

For once in her life, Hermione Granger couldn't find the right thing to say. Her eyes just filled with tears as she threw herself into the arms of her two best friends in the world. She lingered a bit longer with Ron, taking time to give him an extra hug. "Thank you," she whispered next to her ear. Hermione clearly remembered how worried he had been earlier in the school year about this moment. And until know, Hermione didn't realized that deep down, she was feeling the exact same way. She didn't want to lose them either. They were a team and nothing was going to separate them.

"And speaking of your own place," Mrs. Weasley said secretively. "Your father and I and some of the others have gotten together to get you three a little graduation present."

"Really?" Ron instantly perked up upon hearing the word 'present'. "What is it?"

"Just a little something," Mr. Weasley handed Ron a thin envelope. Ron tore it open and he and Hermione started reading.

"What does it say?" Harry asked.

"They've set up an account for us at Gringotts," Hermione read, her eyes growing wide. "There's enough in it for about three months of house payments!"

"Woah," Alex and Ginny muttered softly under their breath.

"We thought you all could use a helping hand until you land on your feet," Mr. Weasley replied with a huge grin.

"But Mum, Dad," Ron looked at his parents in disbelief. "Where did this come from?"

"Like we said, the others helped," Mrs. Weasley said like it was nothing at all. "Remus, Alastor, Tonks, your brothers, even Dumbledore may have slipped a few Galleons in their behind our backs. Plus your father and I did have a tiny bit saved up, though we were saving it for something very important."

"And I would say this qualifies," Mr. Weasley nodded. "You three deserve it. You do know that your teachers go on about you like you're the best students since our time."

Well that was certainly something they didn't know.

"We can't thank you enough," Harry took his turn reading the bank letter.

"There's no need for thanks," Mr. Weasley said.

"Oh, I just remembered," Mrs. Weasley dug into her pocket and pulled out a miniature set of books. She tapped them with her wand and they grew into three full sized books. "We got you something too, Ginny. We didn't want you feeling left out."

"Thanks Mum," Ginny took the books at examined the covers. "I've never heard of these books."

"A fellow at work recommended them to me," Mr. Weasley said with enthusiasm. "He said that they were written by a famous Muggle author. I think you'll really like them."

"What is it, Gin?" Ron tried to get a better look.

"They're by J.R.R. Tolkien," Ginny said. "Lord of the Rings."

Hermione was just about to open her mouth when it felt like a bombshell hit her from the inside. She stared at the books, then she stared at Ginny, who was casually flipping through them.

_They're my mother's favourite books._

_I think she got her first copies when she was young, maybe when she was our age._

Hermione felt her jaw drop open. It couldn't be. She glanced at Alex who just stood there with a strange, frozen smile on her face. Their eyes connected for a few brief seconds.

It couldn't be!

But before Hermione could catch anything, Alex looked away like everything was cool. Hermione glanced over to Ginny and then to Harry. Could it happen? If she had learned on thing over the last few years it was anything is possible.

Hermione suddenly had a brilliant idea. "Ginny," Hermione. "You know, my house does have three bedrooms; four if we convert my father's study into a room as well. We could eventually have room for four people in the house. Maybe next year…"

"Seriously?" Ginny's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Of course," Hermione smiled to herself. A little mild manipulation and matchmaking never hurt anyone!

"I'm sorry we don't have anything for you, dear," Mrs. Weasley turned to Alex. "After all, we weren't expecting to have you here with us."

"That's okay," Alex replied graciously. "I got what I came for. Stopping a Dark Lord in his tracks is good enough for me. Speaking of which, I think it may be time for me to be going. I've stayed here long enough as it is."

Everyone reluctantly agreed. Since the reception wasn't over yet, they discreetly let the others know. Everyone quietly slipped out and made their way to the same empty classroom where Alex had finally revealed who she really was. It was almost exactly like that day. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Alex were there, along with Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Remus, Mad-Eye, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Alex bid the professors and Mad-Eye respectful farewells, while she felt the need to hug Remus and the Weasleys. She then turned to the other four Gryffindors.

"Once again, I'm so sorry for everything that I put you guys through," she said before she hugged each one of them. Alex took a moment to whisper something to each of them, but no one else could hear what she was saying.

The last person Alex came to was Harry. The two stood there for a moment, just staring at each other. What could you say in a moment like this?

"I guess this is good bye," Harry offered lamely.

"I guess so," Alex fidgeted a bit.

"But I'll be seeing you in the future, right?" Harry asked.

"I hope so," Alex almost looked fearful. "85 efficiency, right? Not that I'm worried or anything. I just hope that everyone's alright. I don't really know what I'll find when I get back…if I get back…"

Harry completely understood. He looked her right in the eyes. "Everything will be alright, Alex," he said with conviction. "I promise you."

With a sniff and a laughing sob, Alex launched herself into Harry's arms. "I couldn't have survived here without you," she whispered as she held him tight. "I love you, Dad."

Harry felt his own eyes sting with tears as Alex quickly pulled away. She gave him a brilliant smile as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the matchbox. Alex opened it up and pulled out the last and final match. Striking the match against the side of the box, she gave one final glance to the rest of the group.

"See you later," she said. Then she brought the burning match close to her mouth and whispered her destination to it behind her hand.

She was gone in an instant.

-----

The next day, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all sitting together in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. They were sitting in silence for the moment, but the others kept glancing anxiously at Harry every few minutes. He had been in a strange mood since yesterday, ever since Alex had left.

"I'm sure she's alright, Harry," Hermione reasoned. "There's no reason why it wouldn't have worked."

"85, Hermione," Harry reminded her. "All I can think about is something going wrong. What if she ended up somewhere else? What if the future turns out to be the same? What if…what if it changes too much and she isn't born at all? What if she no longer exists and we'll never see her again?"

Again, no one said anything for a while. Apparently, everyone else had been having the same thoughts too.

"We'll just have to wait a little while," Hermione said suddenly.

"Yeah, you mean like years," Harry replied impatiently.

"Maybe not…"

"What's that?" Ginny suddenly saw something through the train window. Whatever it was, it was coming directly towards them. The others joined her at the window.

"It looks like an owl," Ron squinted. It finally came close enough for everyone to see that it was indeed an owl, an owl that desperately wanted into their compartment.

"Well, let the poor thing in!" Hermione exclaimed. Ginny reached out and slid the window screen open. The owl soared in and promptly sat itself on Harry's knee. Hedwig gave a resentful hoot from her cage.

"Who's it from?" Ginny asked.

"Don't know," Harry shrugged, removing the letter from the owl's leg. He read the outside of the envelope where his name was clearly written. "Hang on a second. This writing almost looks familiar. But…"

Harry quickly tore open the letter and immediately looked inside. He froze, not moving an inch, as he stared at the contents of the envelope.

"Harry?" Hermione asked carefully when he still didn't move. "What is it?"

Finally Harry reached inside and pulled out a small scrap of parchment. He held it out for the others to see. The note only had four simple letters:

_She made it._

_Hermione_

"That's your handwriting," Ron looked at Hermione in confusion. "And who's 'she'?"

"Alex," Harry said softly as he gazed at the parchment. "It means that Alex made it back alright."

"But how could…?" Ginny began to wonder but Hermione cut her off.

"Yes, it's my handwriting," Hermione confessed. "Before she left, Alex asked me to send you guys a note from the future. If she returned to her normal place in time, I was to send an owl back in time to let us all know if she arrived safely."

"So this owl's from the future?" Harry looked the new owl in the eye.

"Hermione, I can't believe you," Ron shook his head. "When are you going to stop meddling with time travel?"

"But I haven't done anything yet!"

As his friends continued their light-hearted banter, Harry took a moment to glance out the window. Somehow, somewhere in the whole cosmic universe of time and space, Alex was still alive. She hadn't disappeared like he had feared.

Everything was going to be alright. He would meet her again someday soon. And apparently he would also meet the mystery woman who would become Alex's mother. Harry smiled slightly to himself.

Maybe the future wasn't so bleak after all.

-----

A/N: Thanks again so much everyone. Please review.


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